Of Songbirds and Vultures
by Hipp0Breath
Summary: Phoenix, a star Cyclonian cadet, was kidnapped as an infant, and now serves the whim of the tyrannical Cyclonian empire. Phoenix soon finds that the actions and attitudes of the empire conflict with his own thoughts and morals. What will Phoenix uncover about the true nature of his past? (OC Cast)
1. Shattered

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Hello there! This is my first ever "fanfiction", so please forgive me as I try different techniques and aspects of writing throughout the course of the story. I have big plans for this story, so please, stay tuned for more chapters to come! Constructive feedback is greatly appreciated, and outtakes and feedback in general are all marvelous! I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading my story! P.S. I might change the timing of this first chapter depending on how I want the rest of the story to go, and characters who are tagged currently, but are not in the story, are characters who I plan to put into the story in the future. Stay tuned! ~Raph**

 _ **20 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks…**_

Spring time on Terra Quies was always very pleasing to both villagers and animals alike. Crops flourished in the endless fields that numbered in the thousands, Quies-cows grazed on lush greenery with much content, and villagers strolled casually to-and-fro to complete their daily activities.

Much of the terra's prosperity was thanks to the sky knight squadron that protected it. The Swooping Sparrows Sky Knight Squadron guarded the terra that was relatively farther away compared to other terras that were involved in the dreaded Cyclonian/Atmosian War. The squadron was led by Falcon, a good-hearted and down-to-earth sky knight.

Falcon came from a regal family on Terra Atmosia. He was destined to inherit the family wealth due to his father's business ventures, but instead he chose to appeal to the sky council, and after vigorous training and daunting trials, he achieved the status of sky knight. Shortly after, he made his own squadron, and journeyed to Terra Quies to establish an official sky knight squadron.

Why Falcon had chosen Quies was because of the angelic girl that he had met there on one of his longer training expeditions. She had silky brunette hair, emerald green eyes, and a smile that brought him comfort every time he gazed upon her. Understandably, he took many more training missions to the terra, where he even set up a place to train and sleep.

He promised his love, Ember, that he would marry her when he finally became a sky knight, and he would commit himself to the protection and preservation of Terra Quies. The two came together to form one family on Terra Quies, and Ember gave birth to a baby boy whom she and Falcon affectionately named Phoenix. Phoenix spent his first few days of life babbling and crying. Falcon would swaddle Phoenix in his arms, so that he could peer into the eyes that shared the same ocean blue colour as his own. Whenever Phoenix cried, his mother would be the one to comfort him effectively. It seemed that her emerald green eyes didn't only bring comfort to Falcon as the little infant would also feel at ease shortly after meeting his mother's gaze. On Falcon's off-days, Falcon, Ember, and Phoenix would spend hours lying together in the lush fields of the terra. Falcon would hold Ember close to his chest, and Ember would cradle Phoenix near her chest. The three would gaze up at the clear blue sky that the terra had to offer.

Phoenix enjoyed the peaceful life on the terra with his parents until one fateful day, when the Cyclonian empire paid a visit to Terra Quies.

 **Early afternoon, The First Battle for Terra Quies…**

The sky shook with cannon fire as Cyclonian battleships entered the borders of Terra Quies. Falcon and his squadron took to the skies as Talons sped towards the Terra. Villagers scrambled to gather their valuables, and proceeded to large civilian freighter ships that would serve as evacuation ships.

Ember swaddled the small boy in her arms as she frantically scrambled towards the ports containing the freighters. She looked up at the sky to see her husband and his squadron strafing, swooping, and diving between and around Cyclonian Talons in a desperate effort to buy time for the civilians below.

As Ember reached the port, it seemed as if the whole place were falling apart. Crying children were heard among the crowd, people were trampling other people to ensure their seat on the evacuation ships, and bodies of wounded and dead villagers who had been slaughtered by fire coming from Talon fighters were riddled all over the port. Despite being disoriented and terrified by the horrific spectacle, Ember rushed for the nearest freighter in hopes of escaping with her tiny infant.

Suddenly, the freighter that she was rushing toward was incinerated by Talon fighters. She watched in shock as charred and burning bodies crawled, sprawled, and scrambled back out from the freighter. Blood curdling screams emanated from the now burning hulk of metal as the growing inferno claimed its victims. Ember, who was disoriented and still in shock from the spectacle, now stared in horror at the sky where a skimmer was barreling towards the ground with Falcon struggling to regain control of it. It seemed for a moment that time had stopped as her eyes met that of the dark-haired man's blue eyes whom she loved so much. That momentary pause was interrupted as his skimmer met the ground with a loud crash. Ember saw the plume of smoke which originated from the crash site.

She ran as fast as she could, still with the boy in her arms, and headed towards the city centre. All around her, screams of agony, uncontrollable blazes, and cries for salvation echoed as she made her desperate rush towards her husband. When she found him, he was standing up against his skimmer trying to orient himself with his surroundings. She ran towards him, and the two hugged each other as they were glad to see each other once more.

Suddenly, the two redirected their attention to the sound of numerous boots marching in their direction. The couple could not see the approaching individuals, but Falcon had a feeling of which individuals the ruckus belonged to. With that thought, Falcon ignited his blazing orange blade to prepare for the upcoming fight. As the smoke cleared, Cyclonian ground forces marched forward with unrelenting glares, and crystal powered staffs.

"Take Phoenix and make for the western edge of the city. Don't worry about me, just go!" yelled Falcon.

"I'm not leaving you! You know that!" replied Ember.

"Ember please, just take Phoenix and-

At that moment, a loud screech came from the sky as a fiery bird swooped down and incinerated a dozen Cyclonian guards who were now rolling on the floor in agony.

"Ember you have to go now! Redemption and I will hold off the Cyclonians! Just go!" Falcon yelled again.

Ember still shocked by her husband's mysterious new friend started heading for the western edge of the city. As she ran farther away, battle cries could be heard as Falcon and Redemption fought back the advancing Cyclonian ground forces. Ember glanced back again to see several crystal-charged javelins being launched at the phoenix which took multiple hits, and crashed to the ground below.

As she turned around once more to continue her current route, she was cut off by a line of Cyclonian guards who brandished crystal-charged staffs, and shields bearing the Cyclonian emblem. She stood their helplessly as the line of guards started advancing towards her. She looked up at the sky for a moment. She saw the cannon fire continue to rain across the sky like a fireworks display. She looked back down at her baby boy and tried to force a small smile to comfort him as the boy's blue eyes started to well up with tears.

"Halt!" a commanding voice shouted.

"Get off our terra!" yelled Ember.

"Wait a minute, you're the wife of Falcon, the leader of the Swooping Sparrows aren't you?" questioned the Cyclonian ground commander.

Ember hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

"Your husband is dead. I'll give it to him, he put up quite the fight." stated the Cyclonian commander with a cruel sneer.

Ember fought back tears as she stared at the commander and his line of guards.

"We will take your son now, he will make a fine Talon." said the Cyclonian commander.

Ember making a last-ditch attempt to escape started bolting towards an alley way. She felt a sudden pain in her leg and she collapsed onto the pavement. Despite the pain, she huddled the baby in a futile attempt to keep him safe.

"I'm sorry Phoenix. Mommy will always love you." Ember whispered as her son continued to cry.

The Cyclonian commander reached Ember and pulled Phoenix out of her weakened arms, and began to cradle him in his own arms.

"You're with me now, and I am going to make you a finer and more powerful fighter than your parents ever could." whispered the Cyclonian commander.

The boy's blue eyes met his eyes. The boy's eyes spoke of helplessness, and longing for his parents. The Cyclonian commander returned to his line of troops and pointed at Ember. Ember peered up at the line of infantry and glared defiantly at them.

"Ready, aim, fire!" yelled the Cyclonian commander.

With that, the Cyclonian infantry let out a volley of red bolts that struck Ember and killed her instantly. Although Phoenix may have been too young to fully comprehend what had just occurred, he let out a deafening cry that echoed the pain of loss as his eyes met those of his deceased mother's eyes for one last time. Those emerald eyes of hers had welled up with tears too, and they seemed to be apologizing for failing to protect him. The Cyclonian infantry, now with captured child in hand, triumphantly marched back toward their ships through the destroyed streets of Terra Quies' capital city.


	2. From Ashes

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Hey everyone. FYI, I use the years prior to (and potentially after) the formation of the Storm Hawks to gauge the timing of things (information according to the Storm Hawks Wikia). For instance, when Phoenix is 8 years old, Aerrow is 4 years old. When Phoenix is 18 years old, Aerrow is 14 years old (the time when he would form the Storm Hawks). Also, it is pronounced Terra "kwees" from the Latin word for tranquility.**

 _ **6 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks…**_

Darkness still crept across the land and consumed all that it touched. The moon was starting to lower as the sun would soon take its place. The Talon academy located on the rebuilt Terra Quies housed many cadets who were sound asleep. All but one cadet rested as a frightening nightmare haunted his memory.

"How's my boy?" a warm masculine voice asked.

The cadet, still asleep and dreaming, then heard screams, and saw uncontrollable fires spreading across an ominous void which didn't seem to end.

"The moon and the stars will keep you safe Phoenix." stated a familiar feminine voice.

The cadet continued to tumble and turn in his bunk as his mind was clouded with the sound of cannon fire, and he heard more screams blaring into his ears.

"I'm sorry Phoenix. Mommy will always love you." stated the familiar feminine voice.

The statement seemed to echo in the cadet's head. He saw a pair of lifeless green eyes which belonged to a familiar face. The voice got fainter and fainter until it was replaced with more blood curdling screams.

This time, the cadet awoke from his troubled slumber. He felt cold sweat drip down his nose and land on his fatigues. He tried to steady his uneven breathing due to the traumatic circumstances of his dream.

"Another nightmare eh?" whispered a fellow cadet.

"Yeah Finch, it's nothing" replied the distressed cadet.

"Maybe you should mention this to Sergeant Crusher and get it sorted out? After all, he wouldn't want our star, Vulture, up-and-coming Talon to suffer by any means, now would he?" Finch proposed.

"Thanks Finch, but I'll be fine, seriously. And thanks, I'm glad you always got my back." said Vulture.

"That's what I'm here for." Finch replied with a smile.

"Alright well, sunlight is here in a few hours, so we should probably go back to sleep. We got urban patrol exercises tomorrow. A lot of walking with little to no breaks." stated Vulture.

"Agreed. Goodnight Vulture." said Finch with a yawn.

"Goodnight Finch." replied Vulture.

The chirping crickets, silvery moonlight, and all-consuming darkness eventually lulled Vulture back to sleep.

 **The next morning…**

A loud horn blared over the intercom.

"All cadets report to the forward staging area immediately!" yelled Sergeant Crusher who was manning the intercom.

Vulture slowly flickered his eyes as to adapt to the morning's brightness. After rubbing his eyes thoroughly, he walked over to Finch and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Finch, wake up, it's morning." said Vulture.

Finch slowly came to and both cadets walked over to pull on their cadet attire along with completing their morning necessities of brushing their teeth, and taking a quick washroom break. Both cadets filed out onto the tarmac along with the other cadets who were also marching in from other respective barracks towards the rugged Cyclonian sergeant who was standing on a wooden crate.

"Alright cadets, today we are conducting urban patrol to keep the natives in check." claimed the Cyclonian sergeant in a booming voice.

"Grab your staffs, shields, and armor. We head out in five minutes. Am I understood?" roared the drill sergeant.

"Sir yes sir!" shouted the group of cadets.

A clatter of staffs and shields could be heard from the armory as the cadets were arming themselves for the day's foot patrol in the terra's capital. The clang of armor ricocheted from the armory walls as cadets strapped steel chest plates bearing the Cyclonian emblem across their chests, and signature Cyclonian helms were mounted onto their heads. The cadets filed out once more and assembled in front of their drill sergeant.

"Alright cadets, form ranks!" yelled Sergeant Crusher.

With that, the cadets filed neatly behind one another until a uniform cohort was presented before the drill sergeant.

"Forward march!" commanded the sergeant.

The cadets immediately began marching towards the exit of the Talon compound. The group took the main road leading to the Cyclonian settlement.

Upon approaching the Cyclonian settlement, ominous grey battlements loomed over the cohort. The guards recognized the Cyclonian uniforms of the cadets, and opened the large metal gates. The metallic gates slowly screeched forward, and the cadets proceeded through the entrance in an orderly manner. Many civilians who encountered the cadets looked away or promptly walked out of the cohort's way to avoid any trouble.

Ever since the initial invasion and annexation of Terra Quies, the inhabitants knew what the Cyclonian empire was capable of. Despite the official claim that Terra Quies was a protectorate of Cyclonia, the people felt anything but safe. Cyclonian ground patrols were usually merciless when it came to matters within the walls of the capital city. Cadets were brought here intentionally to use the settlement as a training ground where cadets would learn how to oppress the civilians, and promote their glorious Cyclonian regime.

The cadets reached an intersection where the sergeant motioned for the cohort to halt. The cadets were split into small teams to patrol the innards of the city. Finch and Vulture waited for their names to be called.

"And finally, Vulture, take Finch and Whip with you. Scout the south-eastern sector of this neighborhood and report back here at sundown. Am I understood?" stated the sergeant.

"Sir yes sir!" replied the three cadets simultaneously.

And so, the three cadets made their way toward the market district of the city. The hustle and bustle of the area was alien compared to the environment from before the invasion of Terra Quies.

"This place always smells so good." claimed Finch after smelling the various scents of soups and spices.

"Agreed. I can't wait to purchase some goods here when we get an off-day." stated Whip who followed behind Finch.

"Eyes on the prize guys. Keep a look out." stated Vulture who kept a keen eye out for any trouble.

Vulture loved being a Cyclonian cadet because of the purpose it gave him. He exceeded at hand to hand combat, excelled at navigational studies, and had an exceptionally amazing skill with polearms and pretty much anything else he could get his hands on. The only problem that he had with the whole program were the instances where Cyclonian rule required oppression. He felt that as an empire, their prime duty was to protect people and bring prosperity. Despite the political mumbo-jumbo that he had always heard, he knew that wasn't the truth. He had seen the beatings, hangings, unfair arrests, and other atrocities which had stemmed from quote-en-quote unruly behaviour which threatened the empire. He had conversed with his drill sergeant previously about this. He only found his thoughts being dismissed and being told to refocus on his training rather than pondering and judging Cyclonian ideology.

The trio continued patrolling through the market district. Suddenly, rocks were hurdled towards the trio. The trio looked in the direction of the unknown citizens. The mysterious group scurried away into the alleys behind them.

"Everyone alright?" asked Vulture to his fellow cadets and the civilians around them.

"Let's go, after them!" yelled Whip as he rushed towards the alley shoving numerous civilians as he went.

Finch and Vulture followed Whip as they navigated the dark and narrow alleys which led through multiple areas within the settlement. The trio finally ended up in an open courtyard area where the three cadets had cornered the mysterious assailants.

"Hands up, and step towards us closely! You are under arrest for assaulting Cyclonian personnel, and disturbing the peace of Cyclonian citizens!" yelled Whip.

An older grey bearded man was the first to drop his hood and procure a switch blade from his tunic.

"Ha, disturbing the peace of Cyclonian citizens? That's what you monsters do all the time!" yelled the man.

Another man uncovered his hood and brandished a pair of crystal charged nun-chucks.

"This is going to hurt!" screamed the other man.

The final figure whom stood before the trio of Cyclonian cadets lifted her hood and attached a Paralysis crystal to the tip of her staff.

"You Cyclonian scum are going to pay for what you have done to this Terra, and to it's people!" she exclaimed.

The trio prepared for the oncoming fight. Their training had prepared them for occurrences such as this one.

The man with the switch blade lunged at the cadets first. Vulture easily disarmed and pinned the man up against the wall with the help of his shield.

Whip raised his staff to strike the second man only to get it caught with the man's nun-chucks.

The girl was left to face off against Finch as she blasted crystal bolts in Finch's direction.

The two men were easily subdued, but that left Finch and the girl still squaring off.

With both men unconscious, Whip and Vulture turned their attention to the girl as well.

"Surrender now, I don't want to hurt you" said Vulture.

Before he could say or do anything else, he saw Finch drop to the floor with a thump. Vulture observed his fallen friend quickly, eased by the rising and lowering of his friend's chest.

Whip charged like a maniac at the girl only to be knocked unconscious by a swift motion of her staff.

Vulture locked eyes with the girl. He brandished his staff in a defensive stance and positioned his shield in front of his torso.

In a move that shocked him, the girl took out the crystal from the tip of her staff, and pocketed the tiny gem. Vulture maintained a defensive stance as he waited for her next move.

"Vulture, or should I say Phoenix, son of Falcon, the sky knight of Terra Quies, please you're the only one who can make things right." claimed the female.

Vulture, shocked by the girl's words, slowly lowered his shield and staff.

"What are you talking about? Why did you assault my friends and cause commotion on Cyclonian soil?" said Vulture.

"Phoenix please, listen to me. The resistance needs your help." yearned the girl once more.

Vulture still flabbergasted by the statement slowly started to remember the name Phoenix which he recalled from his nightmares.

"Why should I trust your words?" replied Vulture calmly.

"Have you not seen the tragedies and crimes that have been caused by the Cyclonians? I'm part of the good guys! You're a part of the good guys!" yelled the girl.

Vulture still perplexed by the new information just stood there and continued to listen.

"Vulture, we don't have much time, so please, hear me out. If you want the truth, meet with the resistance tonight at the old library." said the girl.

Vulture continued staring at her, dumbfounded by her words.

"I'll see you tonigh-

Before the girl could finish, a large Cyclonian soldier rushed out from the alley next to her and body slammed her against the adjacent wall. Vulture could only wince for her as he saw her unconscious body fall to the floor.

Sergeant Crusher appeared and directed some cadets from behind him to pick up the two unconscious cadets beside Vulture.

"Good job holding out against the infamous crystal mage of Terra Quies Vulture. Her mischievous days are over thanks to you buying time for our reinforcements to get here." stated Sergeant Crusher.

"You men, get those two cadets to the infirmary. The rest of you, arrest these scums and throw them into the brig. Let them have one more night to cower in their cells. We execute them at dawn." stated the sergeant.

Vulture felt slightly disturbed by his sergeant's command and walked up to him.

"Sir, surely they do not deserve such a harsh punishment for-

The sergeant put a hand on Vulture's shoulder before he could finish.

"Listen here Vulture, you're a damn good fighter, but if any of these moments of weakness continue to come up, we're going to need to take some disciplinary action to this matter. Fall in line and remember, Cyclonia has no place for weakness. Only strength and brutality shall prevail." growled the drill sergeant.

Vulture responded with a salute as his commanding officer walked off to rejoin the cohort.

Vulture trailed behind his comrades as he thought to himself about what the girl had said. Who was Falcon and why did the name Phoenix seem so familiar to him?


	3. Lies, Myths, and Crystals

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: When a "x years prior/after the formation of the Storm Hawks" is not included in the first segment, that means that the chapter is continuing from a closer point in time. For instance, rather than having years separating the events in this chapter, this is set the evening and days shortly after Phoenix's encounter with the crystal mage of Terra Quies. Happy reading!**

 **That evening…**

The sun's rays were receding along the alleys, roads and buildings of Terra Quies. As the Cyclonian cadets marched back to their compound, Vulture pondered on the information that had just surfaced a few hours prior.

He tried to wrap his head around the idea that his supposed father, Falcon, was a sky knight who protected Terra Quies. Vulture's Cyclonian superiors had told him from day one that sky knights were terrorists in the society. They were described as vigilantes trying to disturb the peace of the Cyclonian empire. They were portrayed as people who committed various acts of vandalism, robbery, causing public unrest, and many other crimes that threatened the safety of the citizens and the rule of Cyclonia.

He also considered that the information had come from the Quies Resistance. The members of that group terrified the public through their acts of vandalism, terrorism, and other acts that would end up in other civilians being punished for treason.

The one point that intrigued him the most was the mention of the name Phoenix. He had heard the name before in his nightmares. Vulture had never really known his parents as he had known the academy ever since he could start remembering things. The haunting apologetic green eyes flashed in his mind once more, giving him goosebumps all over.

He knew he might get court-martialled for insubordination, but he was determined to chase the question which he so desperately wanted an answer for.

That night, he decided that he would follow the girl's directions. He would sneak out from Talon academy and meet whoever could tell him the so-called truth at the old library in the capital city.

 **A few hours later…**

All the cadets were sound asleep as the moon began to crest the skyline of the terra. Vulture had seen the last light in the officer's quarters switch off. It was go time.

Vulture slung his ruck over his shoulder and made a beeline for the door. Suddenly, he heard a low tired groan as he reached for the doorknob.

"Vulture, where are you going?" whispered Finch sleepily.

"Finch, this is going to sound crazy, but you remember the run-in we had earlier today?" replied Vulture.

"Yeah, that girl broke Whip's nose and she gave me a headache for a few hours after. Thankfully, you held her off and now the three of them are rotting in a Cyclonian jail cell. Wait, what's so crazy about that?" stated Finch.

"Well, the girl also told me about the name I kept hearing about in my dream. She told me that if I wanted to know the truth, I would meet her associates by the old library tonight. So, I'm sneaking into town to meet up with them right now." stated Vulture.

"Are you insane? You'll get executed for treason!" whispered Finch in a more hectic tone.

"Finch, I need to get to the bottom of these nightmares and this may be my only chance. If you must turn me in, I don't blame you. I understand that I am breaking protocol and risking so much right now, but I need to know this truth that she speaks of. The truth as to why I keep having these nightmares." stated Vulture sincerely.

"You know what, I'm coming with you. If you go down, then your wingman will be right beside you." stated Finch.

In aerial exercises, Vulture was a star combatant as he danced through the sky striking down the makeshift sky knight targets, and Finch was the one who would cover his back whenever things got too hectic.

"Alright, all or nothing?" asked Vulture.

"All or nothing!" replied Finch.

And so, the two crept out of their barracks, vaulted the compound's bordering walls, and dashed as fast as they could to the city.

After avoiding multiple searchlights and Cyclonian ground patrols, they made their way to the old library in town.

The two cadets set down their rucks and began to survey their surroundings for any patrols that might come their way.

"I hope this is worth the trouble." said Vulture with an anxious sigh.

"So, we just wait here until-

Before Finch could finish, a small latch opened, and a pair of eyes looked at the two cadets.

"I'm going to open the hatch to your right. Please come quickly before anyone sees us!" stated the blizzarian hectically.

The two cadets did as they were told as the tiny slot in the brick wall slid open to reveal a brightly lit interior.

Inside, the two cadets found maps, communication devices, miscellaneous weapons, a small assortment of crystals, and civilians sporting pots and pans as makeshift armor.

The door was closed behind the two cadets. Shortly after, a staff was pointed at Finch.

"Woah woah woah, he's with me." stated Vulture.

With that, the merb slowly lowered the staff away from Finch's stunned face.

"I'm Warbler" stated the muscular blizzarian who had previously spoken with the boys at the hatch.

"This is Crow." stated Warbler pointing at the merb with the staff.

"These villagers and we are the Quies Resistance." continued Crow.

"I'm Vulture and this is Finch" replied the Cyclonian cadet.

"We came here to reveal a quote-en-quote truth about my past." stated Vulture.

"Ah yes, there is much to be told. We paid a terrible price to get you here, but she knew what she was doing." stated Crow.

Just then, Vulture connected the dots and understood that the she was the girl who had told him to meet here in the first place.

"We saw Sparrow and two of the other resistance members being captured by your associates. We didn't know how to approach you, so Sparrow and the two other resistance members volunteered to ambush you and your counterparts to establish contact, in hopes of your return here." stated Warbler solemnly.

Vulture took a deep breath, and sat himself down on a wooden stool. He suddenly felt his stomach churn as the realization had fully set in that the girl and her counterparts would die because of him.

Nevertheless, he knew what he had come for.

"Warbler, Crow, please, tell me about my past. Then, in the morning, we're getting Sparrow and the others back." stated Vulture determinedly.

"All right then, listen closely." stated Warbler as Crow, Finch, and him had sat down as well.


	4. The Vulture Is a Phoenix

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Here comes the realization segment. Vulture is going to find out who he truly is with the help of the newly allied Quies Resistance. Are those alarms of defection I hear? A backstory and a breakout plan all before dawn? Alrighty then, let's begin!**

 **Midnight…**

"First off your real name is Phoenix." stated Warbler blatantly.

Vulture's eyes widened as this was the same name that he had heard from the girl, and it was the name that had haunted him in his dreams.

"I've heard that name before. I've heard it from your friend Sparrow and I've heard the name in my dreams." said Phoenix curiously.

"That was your birth name. It states it here in one of the old public record books that we saved from the sky knight records section of this library before the Cylonians burned all the other records and filled it with their own records and propaganda pieces." stated Crow as he handed Phoenix a thick ragged leathery book that had opened to a specific page.

Phoenix scanned the page briefly. He found his birth name listed below two other names on the tattered page.

His jaw dropped as he recognized the first name that had been written on the page.

"Falcon, Falcon, Falcon." Phoenix repeated to himself slowly.

He saw a footnote beside the name referring him to another page. He frantically flipped to the designated page and saw a picture of a dark-haired man with blue eyes like his own.

He read silently for a minute, mumbling various phrases as to skim through the information until he had found his desired answer.

"Sky knight of Terra Quies." he mumbled aloud slowly.

He quickly turned back to the page which he had bookmarked with his finger and read the second name listed under Falcon.

"Ember." he said silently as he quickly flipped to the page number that was planted beside her name.

He scanned the page studiously as he had with the previous reference.

"Husband is Falcon, son is Phoenix." he murmured in shock.

He abruptly slammed the book close and looked up at the blizzarian, former Cyclonian cadet, and merb who were seated before him.

"What happened to them?" Phoenix asked with a serious tone.

"Your father was killed while he tried to make a last stand against the Cyclonian army during their invasion of Terra Quies. Eye witness reports also state-

Warbler hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"The reports stated that Ember, your mother, was executed by Cyclonian infantry, and that you were taken away shortly by your now former superior, and our hated oppressor, Sergeant Crusher." finished Warbler sadly.

Warbler, Crow and Finch saw Phoenix's eyes start to well up with tears.

Phoenix envisioned the green eyes of his mother from his nightmare and the newly found face of his father which he could never see again either.

Finch put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and patted him gently as the uncontrollable sobs started to emanate from his devastated friend.

Warbler, Crow and the other resistance members just looked at the former cadets sympathetically as Phoenix continued to cry.

After a few minutes, Phoenix sobered up and wiped the tears from his now bloodshot eyes.

"Crusher will pay. He must pay for what he has done! He must pay for who he has taken from me!" screamed Phoenix as he tried to control his sobs and regain his composure.

"And this leads to our next conversation Phoenix. We've been planning an all-out assault on the Talon academy for months now." stated Crow.

"You are the last peace of the puzzle. We need your skills to match up to the Cyclonian forces and their leader, Sergeant Crusher." added Warbler.

"We've seen you fight Phoenix. You're a natural, just like your father before you." continued Crow.

Phoenix managed to stop his sobs and stood up from his chair.

"Gentlemen, we attack tomorrow. Our friends will not perish tomorrow. Crusher has taken enough from us as is." stated Phoenix.

He proceeded to walk over to a table with a map sprawled out across it. They were blueprints for the base camp of the Talon academy.

"The executions will be held here. All cadets will be attending the function as a means of conditioning them to kill innocent civilians. Warbler, take a team of around three or four and wait for my signal on the northern side of the compound. Crow, take the rest of the resistance to assemble at the southern entrance to cut off any reinforcements, and their only route of escape. Finch, gather the best marksmen from our resistance cell and cover us from the eastern side overlooking the compound. I'll come from the western flank and deal with the sergeant myself." ended Phoenix.

"Alright guys, gather anything and everything that explodes, blasts, and shields. We're heading out in four hours right at dawn." commanded Crow to the surrounding resistance members.

"Whoever knows how to nail a Cyclonian between the eyes with a weapon, rally around me!" yelled Finch as a group of the resistance's finest marksmen gathered around Finch.

"Phoenix, there is one more thing I must show you." said Warbler as he motioned for Phoenix to follow him.

The two walked over to a pile of wooden crates. Phoenix saw as Warbler opened one of the crates, and procured a blazing orange crystal and an unignited steel blade.

"This was your father's blade. Survivors of the initial invasion found it near his body and kept it safe until the day that his son would take up the blade." Warbler stated.

Phoenix carefully took the blade and crystal from Warbler and inserted the crystal into the hilt.

Phoenix ignited the blade which glowed a bright orange. He marveled at the blaze of the sword that was now comparable to his hatred for the Cyclonian regime.

"We're getting them back. We're getting Sparrow back." stated Phoenix to Warbler who nodded solemnly.

The night carried on as the resistance was preparing for the assault to come. Phoenix knew where his allegiance truly lay, and he also discovered how he could truly protect his people.


	5. I'm Coming for You

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Phoenix has found his identity! Revenge is at hand, and Terra Quies is going to be the canvas for this conflict to play out.**

 **At dawn…**

Phoenix, now switched out from his Cyclonian garbs and into some clothes and armor that the resistance had provided for him, lay prone on a hill overlooking the Talon academy. He peered through a pair of binoculars and waited patiently for the daily wake up call at dawn that would signal the start of the day.

Sure enough, a horn blasted over the intercom, interrupting the peace and quiet of the new day.

"All cadets report to the front tarmac immediately. We have a special surprise this morning before we carry on our daily activities." finished Sergeant Crusher over the intercom.

Phoenix knew his surprise was the execution of the three detained resistance members from the day before. Phoenix still felt uneasy about the fact that the three members had risked themselves for his sake.

Suddenly, he saw three figures being ushered out onto the tarmac by the sergeant's personal guards. The prisoners were handcuffed, and Phoenix noticed a few lacerations had been made to various areas on each prisoner's body. He felt disgusted by his former regime's cruelty.

The three prisoners were led up and subsequently tied to three wooden pillars.

Phoenix then saw the cadets begin to rapidly file out onto the tarmac, where the sergeant and his associates waited.

Phoenix spotted Warbler to his far left. Warbler was waiting patiently for his signal.

Phoenix then glanced at Crow to his far right. Crow and a group of resistance members lay prone just below the treeline, also awaiting Phoenix's signal.

Finally, Phoenix's eye caught Finch directly across from him on the opposite side of the compound. Finch gave Phoenix a thumbs-up as he was ready for Phoenix's signal as well.

"Today, we are gathered here to witness the true might of Cyclonia." began the sergeant.

"Those who do not submit to our terms will be killed off and forgotten!" continued the sergeant.

"You three!" shouted the sergeant as he pointed to three cadets.

"Grab those staffs and set the them to kill!" shouted the sergeant as a wide smirk grew across his face.

Instantly the three cadets ran over from their respective lines and each grabbed a staff and set the staff to kill.

"Face your enemy!" continued the sergeant.

The three cadets lined up facing the three prisoners and held their staffs at the ready.

"Present arms!" yelled the sergeant to which the cadets raised their staffs.

Phoenix was done waiting. He signalled for Finch's group to assault first.

In an instant, Finch and his group crested the hill and fired stun bolts towards the three executioners.

The three dropped instantly like sacks of potatoes.

Phoenix now signalled Warbler and Crow to lead their forces forward as the resistance members yelled loudly and rushed towards the Talon compound's walls.

Phoenix, now seeing his allies in motion, climbed and vaulted the wall, ignited his blade while in mid-air, and lunged at the sergeant's associates killing them instantly.

The sergeant looked shocked as his star student brandished the blade of his long-fallen enemy against him.

The Cyclonian cadets, still in shock by the whole situation, surrendered to the resistance forces and turned their attention to the standoff between their sergeant and their former comrade.

"You're making a big mistake son. I'll have you court-martialled and executed at this rate." growled Sergeant Crusher as he ignited his blinding red blade.

At that moment, in a fit of pure rage, Phoenix charged at the sergeant who met his blade with his own.

"I gave you everything! Good training, reputation, and your future under Cyclonia!" shouted the sergeant.

"My parents were everything!" replied Phoenix as he gritted his teeth in anger.

The two engaged in a dance of swords as they parried, struck, and lunged at each other to kill the other. Phoenix struck harshly at the sergeant, and the sergeant returned the feeling by lashing back out at his former prodigy.

Suddenly, the sergeant was caught off-guard as Phoenix vaulted off the wall, did a back flip, and seared the sergeant's arm with his blade.

The shocked cadets and resistance members watched on with great anxiety.

The sergeant was visibly growing tired as Phoenix's endurance outmatched that of his own.

Phoenix dove past the sergeant and sliced at the man's back allowing for a thin burned gash to appear on the man's lower back.

The sergeant collapsed to his knees in pain and dropped his blade in the process.

Phoenix walked over to the wounded man and stared him in the eyes defiantly, like what his mother had done so many years ago.

"You were going to be something great, you know that." stated the sergeant panting heavily due to the pain and fatigue that he was experiencing.

"To the wastelands." stated Phoenix simply as he swiftly sliced across the sergeant's neck leaving a gash that would end the sergeant's reign of terror.

As the sergeant dropped to the ground, Phoenix turned around to look upon his former comrades and began to speak.

"Friends, this man has caused us so much pain. He has taken everything and everyone that and who we care about. He and the Cyclonian empire have torn us from our families, oppressed our people, and destroyed so much of what we hold dear. Please, join me, and join the Quies Resistance to free our people, and truly protect them from the real oppressors. Not the lies that we have been told about sky knights and the Quies Resistance, but the Cyclonian empire itself!" finished Phoenix.

The crowd stared silently at him in awe for a few moments.

"I'm with you Vulture!" shouted a cadet at the back of the cohort, thereby breaking the silence.

"He's right, they killed my sister! shouted another cadet from the middle of the cohort.

"Down with Cyclonia!" roared a cadet at the front!

"Down with Cyclonia!" echoed various other cadets and the Quies resistance members in the crowd.

Phoenix looked at Finch who gave him a reassuring smile, Warbler had joined in the cheering, Crow gave him a thumbs-up as he untied the last prisoner, and Sparrow just smiled gratefully back at Phoenix.

Phoenix had done it. It was time to take back Terra Quies.


	6. The Sparrow's Nest

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Wow, Phoenix did it! I'm so glad he has finally come to realize his true intentions and allies as I have wanted to write about his adventures on the side of the Atmosian resistance, rather than his time as a Cyclonian (it was necessary to establish the story). Here comes the fun!**

 **That evening…**

The Cyclonian academy, buzzed with activity as the resistance members hurried from wall to wall to fortify the compound.

Various parts of the city had begun revolting against their Cyclonian oppressors too. This was the work of resistance messengers who had snuck back into the capital city, and had spread the news about the sergeant's death.

Phoenix observed the smoke, fires, and screams that came from the city. He knew that the people would soon require more than just miscellaneous weapons and makeshift armor to stand up against the massive Cyclonian invasion fleet headed their way.

He turned his attention back to his immediate surroundings. He thought that he should check up on each of his crew who were probably somewhere around the base preparing mechanisms and plans to prepare for the upcoming invasion fleet.

He found Finch instructing various resistance members on how to operate a longbow.

"And you want to aim above your target to allow for gravity to drop the arrow and land in the target at center of mass." Finch concluded as the conscientious resistance members looked on.

Phoenix thought that he should let his friend continue his lesson uninterrupted. After walking for a few moments, he found Warbler and some other resistance members arming up training skimmers with some more lethal, or at least incapacitating, weaponry.

"Fuel crystals, spiny spuds, and this so-called edible sludge courtesy of last night's dinner should do just fine." directed the blizzarian to the busy resistance members around him.

Phoenix ventured into the classroom wing within the academy's main building. He found Crow instructing a group composed of resistance members and former Talon cadets on the schematics of a Cyclonian battleship.

"Remember, the shields are a pain to get through, so you want to always aim for the engines. You shoot one out, the ship loses balance, and kaboom." concluded the knowledgeable merb as the audience looked inquisitively at him.

Phoenix had one more stop to make.

Phoenix left the academy's classroom wing, and made his way to the infirmary. There he saw Sparrow and the two other resistance members recovering from their brutal treatment from the night before.

Phoenix walked in and acknowledged the two resistance members with a quick salute before heading over to sit beside Sparrow's bed.

"Thank you. Thank you for letting me find who I truly am." stated Phoenix gratefully.

"Anything for the one who can save us from all of this." replied Sparrow as she motioned her hand around the room.

"It was my fault that you guys ended up like this. If I wasn't so stupid, you guys would've never ended up like-

Before he could finish, Sparrow put her hand on top of Phoenix's and connected her emerald eyes with his.

Phoenix remembered the emerald eyes from his dream. Now knowing they were his mother's, he found comfort in the similar emerald eyes that looked back at him.

"Don't be silly, you saved us." Sparrow stated as she used her other hand to motion at her two wounded comrades and at herself.

The two continued to look at each other for a few moments before Phoenix decided to break the tension.

"Hey, I heard you're a crystal mage eh?" asked Phoenix curiously.

"So, I guess you found out about my lesser known trait." replied Sparrow with a smirk.

"That's pretty cool. I've only heard of crystal mages in textbooks, and I've heard they're quite rare." stated Phoenix as he tried to start up a conversation.

"I'm glad you think I'm cool! If anything, it's even rarer to come across a sky knight's successor around here!" said Sparrow giggling.

Phoenix turned a slight shade redder when he heard her response. He also noticed that his hand was still under hers. As if she was reading his mind, the two started to retract their hands and she now shared the same shade of red as he did.

"Well, I have to go make sure everything else is in check. You recover soon, and I'll see you around I guess." said Phoenix awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'll catch you around too." replied Sparrow softly.

Phoenix exited the room and felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Dude, you just met her yesterday, falling head over heels already?" whispered Finch.

"Wait, how long were you here for? How much did you hear?" whispered Phoenix in a hush but panicked voice.

"Enough to know about how cool meeting a crystal mage is." stated Finch with a smirk.

"Look, you know I get emotional sometimes. I just like her as a friend. Like you said, I just met her yesterday." stated Phoenix now in a calmer tone.

"Alright, alright, whatever. Besides we have a Cyclonian invasion fleet coming in a few days time. That should take your mind off things." said Finch making air quotes as he said the last word.

"Come on, let's grab some grub and get some sleep. We got a whole lot coming up in the next few days." continued Finch with a more official tone which mocked that of Phoenix's tone when he got serious.

"Oh, buzz off." replied Phoenix as his friend and he chuckled and headed off to the mess hall.

 **Around late-morning…**

The city was deathly silent compared to the night before. Reports from resistance messengers stated the civilians had overwhelmed their Cyclonian oppressors, and had retaken the capital city.

Resistance members and Cyclonian cadet turncoats had worked through the night, and many were taking shifts napping as the sun rose over Terra Quies.

Resistance personnel who knew how to operate the communication devices had an especially long night as they contacted other Resistance cells around Atmos.

Spies from other resistance cells found that the Cyclonian invasion force would arrive in around two days, not including today.

Terra Quies' capital city was also preparing for the onslaught as resistance members had joined with the now accepting civilian populace in a desperate effort to fortify their settlement to prepare for the upcoming Cyclonian siege.

Phoenix wandered into the resistance's communication hub and watched the tireless communications personnel clicking, tapping, and speaking to reach out and coordinate with the other resistance cells both on and off terra.

A resistance communication technician approached Phoenix and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir!" he began.

"Please, there's no need, just call me Phoenix." stated Phoenix as he gave the man a reassuring smile.

"Phoenix, we have reinforcements on their way to assist our effort in repelling the upcoming enemy invasion." stated the technician.

"Who are they?" asked Phoenix.

"The Interceptors, Phoenix, hailing from Terra Mesa." replied the technician.

"They will be here tomorrow to assist our efforts." added the technician.

"Wonderful, please, send them my thanks." finished Phoenix as he headed to meet his friend at the infirmary.


	7. Paths Crossed

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: With this chapter, I wanted to explore and elaborate more upon Sparrow's background as the two make their preparations to face the oncoming invasion. Also, I wonder where we've seen the word Sparrow before (hint: skim through chapter one to find out).**

 **That afternoon at the infirmary…**

Phoenix arrived at the infirmary to see how his friend was fairing. He looked at the two empty beds where two resistance members had previously laid. He then redirected his attention to Sparrow's bed, which to his dismay, was empty as well.

"Where did she go?" blurted Phoenix aloud.

"You came looking for me? replied a female voice.

Phoenix looked up to see Sparrow leaning up against a doorway. She had un-done her ponytail, letting her fine black hair dangle to her shoulders. She had changed into a brown patchwork tunic accompanied by black velvet stockings that ended at her upper thighs.

Phoenix slightly taken aback by her striking appearance struggled to remember what he was going to ask her.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go into town with me today to supervise the progress of the civilians in fortifying the town." stammered Phoenix.

Sparrow looked at him curiously and raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"You don't need me there to supervise the villagers. You're fully capable of doing that yourself." replied Sparrow as she started drawing circles on the floor with the head of her boot.

"Yes, but I wanted to supervise the villagers, and get to know you better. You know, two birds one stone, right?" continued Phoenix sheepishly.

"Well, I guess I don't have anything better to do." replied Sparrow with a wink.

"Awesome. Shall we?" proposed Phoenix now visibly blushing.

"Sure." answered Sparrow as she giggled at his flushed expression.

After Phoenix and Sparrow grabbed their respective rucksacks, the two made their way to the airfield of the base. They observed the hard-working resistance members scurrying around the airfield refueling skimmers, unloading cargo from freighters, and doing anything necessary to prepare for the siege that was due in two days time.

Phoenix seated himself on a skimmer, and Sparrow seated herself on a skimmer adjacent to her friend's skimmer.

"I'll race you to the capital!" yelled Sparrow excitedly.

"You're on!" replied Phoenix ecstatically.

With that, the two sped off the runway and took to the skies in a frantic race to the capital city. Sparrow observed Phoenix dive, strafe, and practically barrel roll in mid-air around her until they got to the capital city.

"You're a natural at flying." stated the impressed crystal mage.

"I have to admit, you learn a thing or two when you've done aerial training every morning for four years in a row." replied Phoenix braggingly.

The two made their way to a place called Quies' Finest, a local diner that had been around forever, and took a seat across from one another.

The two sat silently as the waiter placed two menus on the table between them.

Phoenix looked out the window to observe the bright blue sky that Terra Quies had always generously offered its inhabitants.

Sparrow sat silently looking at the dark-haired and blue-eyed Cyclonian turncoat. His features strongly resembled that of the sky knight who she and he had seen in the sky knight records book. His simply-made brown textile woven tunic was padded with steel shoulder pads on both shoulders, and a Cyclonian chest plate which had its emblem ferociously scrubbed off.

Phoenix returned his gaze to the dark-haired crystal mage, and lost himself in her emerald eyes once more.

It seemed that Sparrow had been hypnotized by Phoenix's ocean blue eyes as well, as she found herself staring into them longingly.

"May I take your order?" asked the waiter who stood beside the table.

"Ah yes, I'll take the Quies-beef spaghetti please." stated Sparrow as she snapped out of the trance.

"I'll have the same as her, thanks." continued Phoenix shortly after.

"Very well." finished the waiter as he took the menus from the table.

"Following after me I see?" stated Sparrow inquisitively.

"You just chose what I was wanting too." replied Phoenix confidently.

The two shared a small laugh.

"So, what do you want to know about me?" started Sparrow.

"Well, I guess the first thing that comes to mind is your crystal mage gig." continued Phoenix.

"Oh that? My mother started teaching me when I was very tiny. She was the local crystal mage who everyone went to when they were confused about matters surrounding crystals." stated Sparrow.

"Ever since the Cyclonians invaded, skills that I had learned from her like lighting fires with crystals for warmth, stunning Cyclonians with Paralysis crystals, and even composing Nil crystals to help heal wounds all contributed to keeping me alive after the Cyclonians-

Sparrow hesitated at this point.

"After the Cyclonians killed my parents." ended Sparrow sadly.

Phoenix noticed the tears welling up in Sparrow's eyes. He had felt the same pain the night before last night when he had discovered the truth about his parents.

Phoenix left his side of the booth and scooted over to Sparrow and hugged her tightly.

"I know how it feels. Trust me, they've taken so much from both of us." stated Phoenix empathetically.

Sparrow now pulled herself away from Phoenix slightly as to wipe some of her tears.

Phoenix noticed the sadness in her eyes which reflected that of his own when he had found out about his parents.

"You know, Sparrow is a very pretty name." stated Phoenix trying to lighten the mood.

"Thanks." answered Sparrow blushing slightly as she tried to wipe the rest of her tears.

"My parents named me after Terra Quies' protectors. Your father's squadron the Swooping Sparrows." continued Sparrow.

Phoenix put his index finger and thumb to his chin as to wonder about the title of the sky knight squadron.

"The Swooping Sparrows." he repeated quietly.

"Yeah, your father and his squadron were the ones who had always kept the Cyclonians far away from Terra Quies. One day, the Cyclonians had enough of his actions and our terra, so they invaded and purged our terra." said Sparrow solemnly.

"I see." replied Phoenix sharing his friend's solemn tone.

"Two Quies-beef spaghetti's" presented the waiter as he set down two medium sized dishes.

"Thank you." stated the two friends simultaneously.

The two were eating relatively quietly until Phoenix wiped his lips and looked up from his half-eaten spaghetti.

"I'm never letting anything bad happen to you." he blurted out to his friend.

"Thanks, and I got your back as well." replied Sparrow.

 **A few hours after nightfall…**

Phoenix and Sparrow flew back to the resistance base and parked their skimmers in their respective spots.

Phoenix walked Sparrow to her barracks and stopped shortly before entering.

"I had fun today." Phoenix said.

"I had fun too." replied Sparrow.

"So, goodnight then." stated Phoenix.

"Goodnight." returned Sparrow.

Sparrow entered her quarters and Phoenix walked off to return to his own quarters.

Phoenix returned to his quarters and jumped on his bed exhaustedly.

"So, how was your date? asked Finch whilst he scrubbed his dirty boots.

"I was just getting to know a friend better." murmured Phoenix.

"Sure man, however you want to put it. Goodnight." finished Finch as he put down the pair of boots and yawned loudly.

"Goodnight Finch." returned Phoenix.

That night, Sparrow and Phoenix had a hard time falling asleep.

One had a sparrow on his mind.

The other had a phoenix.


	8. Five Sparrows and a Starling

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed writing the previous chapter. Sprinkling in romance is a new aspect I'm trying out. I hope it plays out well. In this chapter, we can see our heroes crossing paths with a familiar face (you probably know who it is by the title and the chapter before previous). Enjoy!**

 **The next morning…**

Phoenix peered out his window to see the sun slowly cresting over the horizon. Sun rays spewed over the hills, buildings, and even the tiniest of crevices as the light marked the beginning of the day.

Upon exiting his quarters, he saw five purplish skimmers soaring across the sky with three freighters being presumably escorted between the respective skimmers.

The squadron touched down on the runway where resistance airfield technicians rapidly scrambled to unload the supplies from the three freighters.

Phoenix made his way toward the airfield and spotted the lead skimmer rider dismount from her ride.

He walked over to meet the purple-haired female to introduce himself.

"Hello, my name is Phoenix. I'm the leader of the Quies Resistance." stated Phoenix as he extended his hand for a handshake.

"I'm Starling, sky knight, and leader of the Interceptors." stated the purple haired sky knight extending her hand as well to complete the handshake.

"Thank you for coming to our aid on such short notice." stated Phoenix.

"We were in the area and we heard about the coup your resistance had started. We were informed that the squadron of your terra was long dead, so we contacted the Sky Council and volunteered to drop by and help you defend against the Cyclonian invasion fleet." continued Starling.

"Thanks again for your help, along with all the supplies you escorted to us." replied Phoenix.

"No problem. Your father would be proud of you Phoenix." said Starling.

Phoenix looked slightly wide-eyed as he realized who his new ally knew.

"I appreciate that." replied Phoenix modestly.

"After all of this, you and your crew should register as an official sky knight squadron, so that this terra can officially be under the protection of some just and capable individuals." stated Starling.

"Maybe." replied Phoenix unsurely as he did not know if he could live up to his father's position.

"You'll be fine." said Starling supportively.

"Anyway, shall we meet your crew and begin planning further?" asked Starling.

"Yes, right this way." replied Phoenix.

Phoenix and Starling walked over to the officer's quarters that was now repurposed into a full-on war room for the Quies resistance.

The two walked in to face a merb scanning a map, a muscular blizzarian tinkering with a console, a young man cleaning his crystal longbow, and a female mage combining crystals.

"Good morning everyone!" greeted Phoenix.

"Good morning!" the four replied simultaneously.

"This is Starling, sky knight and leader of the Interceptors." introduced Phoenix to his crew.

"Good day." said Starling.

"This is Crow our strategist." Phoenix stated as he motioned at Crow.

"Hiya." stated Crow simply.

"This is Warbler our weapons specialist." stated Phoenix pointing at the muscular blizzarian.

"Pleased to meet yah." said Warbler giving a small salute.

"This is Finch, our sharp-shooter." said Phoenix as he gestured at the man.

"Hey there!" said Finch enthusiastically.

"And this is Sparrow, our crystal mage." said Phoenix as he gestured at the female mage.

"Hello!" said Sparrow as she finished combining two crystals.

"So, this is the whole crew then? Marvelous, let's get down to business." stated Starling.

The six individuals gathered around a table with a map of the entire terra.

"The number one concern for total-terra defence is that we do not spread ourselves too thin. By the same token, letting pieces of land fall to the enemy leads to a prolonged conflict, as the Cyclonians will dig in and prepare for the long run." informed Starling.

"So how are we going to maximize our chances of succeeding in our defense?" asked Warbler.

"Normally, we could gather an official terra-based army." stated Starling.

"But seeing our time constraints, I don't see how we're going to gather that many people." continued Sparrow.

"Not to mention the amount of training and preparation that would have to go into a force of that size." added Finch.

Phoenix put his index finger and thumb to his chin while he thought about possible solutions.

"Let's do what we've always done." stated Crow breaking the silence.

"Guerilla tactics, hit-and-run ambushes, we stick together while causing mass havoc in the Cyclonian ranks." finished the merb confidently.

"That might just work." stated Phoenix who was astonished by his friend's wisdom.

"We need to relocate everyone to the old abandoned port. Then we can lure the Cyclonians using the unoccupied capital city, and this resistance base. We could rig both places to blow and take out the Cyclonians in their tracks. Assuming their top brass will be supervising their efforts from the battleships, we could then launch an all-out air assault and send their fleet packing." concluded Crow.

The other resistance leaders nodded in agreement.

"Finch, tell your scouts to send word to the city. Between now and tomorrow, we are evacuating everyone and everything to the old abandoned port." ordered Phoenix.

"I'm on it!" replied Finch as he ran off to inform his scouts.

"Warbler, get the convoy started and evacuate this base." continued Phoenix.

"Gotcha." replied the blizzarian.

"Crow, tell our communications wing to continue their work, but to also prepare for immediate evacuation at a moment's notice." stated Phoenix.

"Ok." replied Crow flatly as he strolled off to the communications wing.

"Starling, we'll meet you at the new rendezvous." said Phoenix.

"I'll see you there then." finished Starling as she ran off to gather her squadron.

After Starling left, Phoenix stared back at the map of the terra as Sparrow walked over and put her hand on Phoenix's shoulder.

"I don't know if we can pull this off." stated Phoenix nervously still staring at the map.

"I'm sure that under your direction and Crow's plan, we can't go wrong." replied Sparrow softly.

"The last time the Cyclonians invaded, the Swooping Sparrows fell, everyone and everything was devastated, and our entire terra fell under Cyclonian rule for years after." stammered Phoenix.

"That was last time. Now, we have Starling and the Interceptors, Crow, Finch, Warbler, the Quies Resistance, Cyclonian cadet turncoats, the people of Terra Quies, and you, our sky knight." stated Sparrow supportively.

"And I have you." replied Phoenix slowly as he had now turned his head and had become trapped in Sparrow's gaze once more.

Sparrow returned the action, almost intentionally, as she was pulled into his gaze as well.

Phoenix slowly wrapped his arms around Sparrow's waist and leaned in closer.

Sparrow returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around his waist, still holding her gaze with his.

The two closed their eyes and leaned in ever so closely.

"Commander Phoenix, please report to the communications wing." stated a voice over the intercom.

Phoenix and Sparrow opened their eyes and looked at each other, both turning a deep shade of red.

"I gotta go." stammered Phoenix sheepishly.

"I'll see you at the old ports." replied Sparrow sharing the same awkward tone.

Phoenix promptly exited the war room and made his way to the communications wing.

"You look redder than an apple." remarked Crow as he saw Phoenix enter the room.

"Is everything ok?" continued the concerned merb.

"I'm fine, thanks. What's going on? You needed me here?" asked Phoenix, his face dissipating in redness.

"Oh, I just needed your help carrying this transmitter." stated Crow.

"Ah, right." finished Phoenix.

That night and the following day consisted of massive amounts of movement of supplies, weaponry, and people as the resistance relocated all their assets to the old forgotten port.

 **The night before the invasion…**

"Everyone is accounted for, food stock, crystals, and weaponry are all here. The terra is practically deserted from an aerial point of view." reported Warbler to Phoenix at the new war room at the old port.

"Great job, get some rest Warbler, you've really worked hard these past few days, and you should rest up before the big fight tomorrow." replied Phoenix calmly.

"Guys, you gotta come see this." stated Crow hastily as he ran off to the left of the entrance to the war room.

Phoenix, Finch, Warbler, and Sparrow rushed after him.

The four stopped next to the merb as they gazed upon a gigantic old ship that was locked away in one of the few undestroyed warehouses.

"I know this ship!" yelled Sparrow ecstatically.

"I've seen it in some of the books that we saved from the old library." continued Sparrow.

"It's the Thunderbird! This was your father's ship!" shouted Sparrow excitedly as she looked at Phoenix.

"Wow, it actually survived all these years." stated Finch surprised by the spectacle.

The ship was white with orange stripes running along its sleek metal exterior. The bridge was at the center of the ship with the hangar immediately below it. The warehouse's huge length and width accommodated for the large wingspan of the two metallic wings. Six booster engines jutted out from the rear of the huge ship, accompanied by smaller fins to help with navigation. Finally, two striking orange insignias of sparrows circling each other were etched and painted onto the respective wings.

"Crow, Warbler, you guys think you can get this up and running by dawn?"

"It would be my pleasure!" replied the ecstatic merb.

"I'm on it!" replied the blizzarian cheerfully.


	9. Dawn

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Hello fellow readers! So now they have a ship. I wonder what they can do with that? Also, a big battle is coming up. Let's get busy.**

 **The morning of the battle…**

The Cyclonian invasion fleet arrived north of the terra. Talon fighters flanked both sides of the main battle cruisers.

"Maintain our course corporal." remarked the Cyclonian captain aboard his battle cruiser.

"Sir, it seems that there are no occupants in the city." stated a bridge technician frantically.

"What! That is impossible!" roared the Cyclonian officer.

"Send our Talons and start doing strafing runs on the capital city. After such action, send in our ground forces. If the resistance hides, then will we find them and slay them where they stand." ended the Cyclonian officer with a sneer.

"At once sir." replied the bridge technician promptly.

On receiving the order, the Talon fighters formed an attack formation and dove down to strafe across the capital city. They accelerated with such speed that the screeching of their engines pulsed through the surrounding skies.

Bright red crystal bolts riddled the city as the Cyclonian air force began their strafing runs. The aviators found themselves shooting at nothing, but the buildings below their fighters.

Cyclonian troop gunships landed at the edge of the terra. Men clad in armor bearing the Cyclonian emblem marched orderly toward the capital city as their aerial counterparts continued the onslaught of crystal blasts on the settlement.

The troops eventually reached the city gates. A battering ram was shortly brought to the entrance. The ram started smashing away at the heavy metallic door. After several attempts, the door swung open violently, now dented by the blows administered by the siege machine.

"Forward men, onto victory!" yelled a Cyclonian ground commander.

The Cyclonian cohorts marched into the city with their frontal cohorts now raising their shields in preparation for the expected onslaught.

To their surprise, not a single civilian or animal stirred in the city.

After patrolling through the entirety of the settlement, the ground commander sent for a communications technician to report to him immediately.

"Buzzard contingent, this is Vulture company. No sign of civilians, or anything else for that matter in the capital city!" reported the ground commander.

"Vulture company, this is Buzzard contingent. No signs of the insurgents here at the Talon academy either." All they left were a dozen plus crystal generators." replied Buzzard contingent's commander.

At that moment, the Vulture company commander surveyed his surroundings as well. He noticed the absurd abundance of crystal generators lying around the city as he made his approach.

The commander seemed even more puzzled now that he had noticed the previously ignored abundance of crystal generators.

"No civilians, an abundance of crystal generators." murmured the commander to himself.

His eyes suddenly widened at the realization of what they had walked into.

"Commander, get your men out of there now!" he yelled desperately over the communication device to the other commander at the Talon academy.

"Fall back! Fall-

A massive blinding light erupted from both the capital city and the Talon academy as both sites were violently decimated by the crystals simultaneously combusting together leaving nothing in their wake.

The stunned bridge crew and Cyclonian commander watched the spectacle from their flagship.

 **At the old ports…**

The resistance members felt the ground shudder under their feet and heard the deafening explosion ring out across the terra.

"That's our signal!" yelled a resistance officer.

With that, an alarm rang out across the base as resistance fighters scrambled to their skimmers to get airborne.

"Let's go, come on!" yelled a resistance fighter as she mounted her skimmer.

A wave of resistance fighters on modified skimmers emerged from the foliage that had grown to canopy the old ports.

 **In the air…**

Phoenix viewed another contingent of resistance skimmers joining the main assault force that was now in a temporary holding pattern around the old ports.

"Just like training, eh?" remarked Finch as he flew up along side Phoenix's skimmer.

"Yep, you got my back, I got yours." stated Phoenix calmly.

"Wait, where are Sparrow, Warbler, and Crow?" asked Finch confusedly.

"We'll see them in due time. They're making last minute fixes to the Thunderbird." answered Phoenix.

"Alright, I guess it's just us and the whole resistance aviation wing for now." stated Finch flatly.

Phoenix turned around and faced the rows and columns of resistance fighters now hovering readily in the air.

"This day, we will show the Cyclonians that we will not submit! Those who have perished before us, for Terra Quies, will receive their justice as well. Their spirits lash out and live on through our swords, our hearts, and our victory!" ended Phoenix.

A loud roar of cheers sprouted from the massive formation of fighters.

"People of Quies, take what is yours!" shouted Phoenix.

And with that, the massive formation of resistance fighters, along with Starling's small squadron following closely beside the main assault force, headed into battle behind Phoenix and Finch.

 **On the ground…**

The Thunderbird, which was receiving its last-minute adjustments, stayed grounded as the main assault force charged toward the Cyclonian fleet.

Warbler, Crow, and a few remaining resistance airfield personnel were frantically servicing the ship and checking its systems.

As they were doing such, Sparrow looked up from the deck of the Thunderbird and caught sight of the dark-haired blue-eyed sky knight charging into battle with his allies.

"Please, stay safe." Sparrow murmured aloud.

 **Back in the air…**

"Sir, they are counter attacking!" screamed a bridge technician as he pointed at the large assault fleet.

"Scramble the Talons! Kill them all!" ordered the captain furiously.

Talon fighters screeched towards the incoming attack fleet. The numbers were surprisingly even between the two opposing forces. The opposing fleets charged at each other stubbornly as if to run the other down entirely.

Phoenix ignited his father's blade. Finch loaded a crystal arrow into his longbow.

The approaching talons glared at the rebels disgustedly as the resistance members returned their gaze with a look of defiance.

The Battle of Terra Quies had begun.

Phoenix vaulted from his skimmer and swiftly decapitated a Cyclonian pilot. He hopped back onto his skimmer and fired shots madly at his adversaries as he dove between and around his opponents' skimmers.

Finch nailed three Cyclonian pilots with his crystal arrows at center of mass in a matter of seconds.

Starling and her Interceptors glided through the sky in a uniform formation and decimated any Cyclonians in their way.

The other resistance pilots had engaged in various dogfights with the Cyclonian fighters. Some resistance fighters ducked and dove until they caught their enemy off-guard. Others who were hit by blasts from their enemies would ram their uncontrollable skimmers into the Cyclonian ranks. In some instances, some wounded resistance fighters even charged their skimmers into the bridges of some of the Cyclonian battle cruisers. One by one, the frigates began to descend in flames and smoke into the wastelands below.

Scattered and distraught Cyclonian pilots quickly found themselves outnumbered.

"That's their flagship! Hit it hard!" yelled Finch to a group of resistance fighters who swiftly followed him.

As the group made their run for the Cyclonian flagship, they found themselves facing the remaining Talon fighters.

Finch's relatively small contingent was quickly shot down, leaving Finch to fend for himself.

The Talons were raining down massive swarms of crystal blasts at Finch's skimmer.

Finch felt a slight jolt on one of his wings and figured that he had been hit.

Black smoke billowed from his engine as his skimmer dove behind a cloud bank.

"Finch!" yelled Phoenix as he dove towards his friend.

To his amazement, Finch and his skimmer emerged from the clouds as it had landed on the runway of the Thunderbird.

Finch loaded another arrow into his longbow and aimed at the Cyclonian flagship.

Phoenix, now certain that his friend wasn't falling to his death, redirected his attention to the maroon-coloured flagship.

"Forward!" yelled Phoenix as the swarm of resistance fighters converged on the flagship and the fighters surrounding it.

The remaining Talons were overwhelmed entirely, and the Thunderbird's gunners got the killing blows on the Cyclonian Flagship's engines.

"Down with Cyclonia!" yelled Warbler as he hammered blasts from his cannon into the flagship's last engine.

 **On the flagship…**

"Sir, we are going down." reported the deck officer solemnly to the captain.

The captain sat down on his chair on the bridge. His crew and he watched as they fell to their inevitable doom among the wastelands.

 **Back in the air…**

Victorious roars exploded from the formation of resistance fighters.

Phoenix looked over at his wingman now safe and sound on the runway of the Thunderbird.

The victorious resistance headed back to their terra to celebrate and re-evaluate their situation.


	10. Resurgence

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: I did a little tweak with chapter one's time line. It now says twenty years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks. This means by the time chapter two happens, Phoenix is fourteen, and by the time the Storm hawks are formed (six years later) (these are the new Storm Hawks with Aerrow, Finn, Junko, Piper, Radarr and Stork rather than Lightning Strike's crew), he will be twenty. Please remember to review if you can! I greatly appreciate your feedback, and you can also post suggestions or theories surrounding the continuation of this story. Thanks again!**

 **That evening…**

The old port buzzed with activity that night. The celebrations could be heard from half-way across the terra as the people of Quies enjoyed their new-found freedom.

Phoenix, Finch, Warbler, Sparrow, and Crow stood beside one another as they awaited the departure of Starling and her Interceptors.

"It has been a privilege, thank you." stated Phoenix as he extended his hand.

"The same to all of you." replied Starling shaking his hand with hers.

"Starling, we're ready to depart." stated one of the Interceptors.

"May our paths cross again." commented Starling as she looked at the five.

"And Phoenix, head over to Terra Atmosia sometime. Get your squadron registered." recommended the female sky knight.

"I think we'll do just that." Phoenix replied as he turned to others for approval.

"I'm in!" Finch exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Helmsman and strategist, reporting for duty." added Crow.

"More adventures with you guys? Awesome!" stated Warbler practically jumping with excitement.

"If it means staying by your side, count me in." stated Sparrow with a wink as Phoenix blushed slightly.

Starling chuckled slightly at this.

"Well then, let it be known that the Swooping Sparrows will fly once more." stated Starling simply.

"I must be going now. Good luck on your ventures." stated Starling as she mounted her skimmer.

The five friends waved goodbye to their ally as she and her squadron flew off towards the blue moon heading in the direction of Terra Mesa.

"Well guys, who's down to party?" asked Phoenix happily.

His question was met with joyous remarks and cheers as the five headed toward the savory smelling, music-booming, and firework spewing party at the resistance base.

 **One week later…**

With Terra Quies' government re-established, military reformed from the Quies Resistance forces, and infrastructure beginning to be rebuilt, the soon-to-be Swooping Sparrows squadron prepared to depart.

"Minister, I'm sure you'll be able to handle everything accordingly." stated Phoenix calmly.

"I sure hope so. Please, young Phoenix, return to us frequently." replied the newly elected Minister of Terra Quies.

"Will do." replied the dashing soon-to-be sky knight with a reassuring smile.

"It's time." said Crow as he poked his head around the doorframe to alert his friend.

Phoenix and Crow left the minister's office and mounted their skimmers. The two made for the now re-growing meadows in the Quies countryside.

The two skimmers stopped at a destroyed house that had two properly dug graves beside it.

Phoenix looked down at the two graves and knelt for a few moments. Crow waited patiently by the parked skimmers on the side of the road.

The villagers had buried Phoenix's parents shortly after the initial invasion of Terra Quies. The site of their burial was beside the house that Phoenix, Falcon, and Ember had once shared.

"I've freed our terra, and now I will restore the Swooping Sparrows." whispered Phoenix solemnly.

"Thank you for all that both of you have done for me." whispered Phoenix softly.

Phoenix slowly stood up, bowed once more, and headed for his skimmer.

Crow and Phoenix now headed for the old port where the Thunderbird, Warbler, Finch, and Sparrow were waiting.

The five members boarded the Thunderbird, and Crow ignited the engines which projected a loud hum.

The crew gathered at the bridge and observed the blue sky quietly.

"Terra Atmosia, here we come." stated Phoenix determinedly.

The people of Terra Quies watched as their guardians zoomed off in the Thunderbird to the adventures that awaited them.


	11. I Need You

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: After some brainstorming, I've figured out what the rest of the story is going to look like (kinda). The next few chapters are going to be over the span of a year (in the story that is). The perspectives viewed are mainly going to be through Phoenix's POV or Sparrow's POV. Please remember to review (I appreciate your input)! Enjoy!**

 **Early afternoon on Terra Atmosia…**

The crew had spent the past few days travelling to Terra Atmosia. The pristine terra with its iconic pulsing aurora stone beacon was a welcoming sight for the weary crew.

After landing, Phoenix, Sparrow, Crow, Finch, and Warbler made their way to the sky council's building.

The five entered through the grand structure's entrance and presented themselves in front of the sky council.

"And who do we have here?" stated a counselor curiously.

"My name's Phoenix, sky knight to-be." started the young soon-to-be sky knight.

"I'm Sparrow, crystal mage in training." continued the dark-haired female.

"The name's Crow, helmsman and strategist." answered the merb.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Finch, sharpshooter and wingman." stated the young man confidently.

"And I'm Warbler, weapons specialist." finished the blizzarian.

"We're here to take up the mantle of the Swooping Sparrows sky knight squadron from-

"Terra Quies." said the counselor as he finished Phoenix's sentence.

"We have heard of your remarkable coup against the Cyclonian government, resulting in the freedom of your terra." commented another counselor.

"Quite a remarkable feat for people your age." commented another counselor as he predicted the crew's age to be around fourteen or sixteen.

"Despite the age discrepancy, your actions have given us faith in your abilities." continued the head counselor.

"And so, I hereby deem you the title of the Swooping Sparrows, guardians of Terra Quies." announced the head counselor.

"Please, sign here." offered the head counselor as he handed a document to Phoenix.

Phoenix signed willingly as his crew observed with excitement.

"A congratulation is in order, but there is a catch." said the head counselor firmly.

The members of the now officially registered Swooping Sparrows gazed back up at the three counselors as they waited for the term.

"Young Phoenix must endure the trials and tests before he is to return to your squadron. Therefore, he will spend a year here training with one of our sky knight tutors, whilst his crew returns to their terra to protect it from potential threats." instructed the head counselor firmly.

"Your training will begin tomorrow, meet at the training fields by early morning." finished the head counselor flatly.

The five headed back to the Thunderbird quietly. Despite the wonderful news of the sky council ignoring the age restriction and registering them officially, they had to part ways with their leader for a year as he had training to complete.

As Phoenix silently packed his necessities, he heard a knock on the doorframe of his room.

"It's going to be like going back to our old academy days. Don't worry." stated Finch reassuringly.

"You make sure you take care of yourself man." replied Phoenix calmly.

"The same to you." replied Finch as he patted Phoenix's back supportively.

Phoenix headed to the bridge with his rucksack and gazed at the merb busily tending to the consoles.

The merb turned around as he heard clanking noises approach him.

"We'll take good care of the terra, and we'll be awaiting the return of our sky knight." said Crow as he turned around and gave Phoenix a thumbs-up.

"I'm glad, catch you around." replied Phoenix as he waved goodbye to the merb and headed for the hangar bay.

"Your skimmer's all tricked out. Fully tuned navigational system, polished crystal blasters, and I even switched out your engine." stated Warbler with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry Warbler, I'll be back soon." answered Phoenix reassuringly as he bumped fists with the blizzarian.

There was one more stop before his departure.

Phoenix approached Sparrow's room and heard violent sobs emanating from her doorway.

Phoenix turned the corner to find Sparrow sitting on her bed sobbing uncontrollably.

Sparrow looked up briefly at Phoenix before returning to wallowing in her sadness.

Phoenix sat down beside his devastated friend and hugged her tightly near his chest.

"You can't leave! You just can't!" shouted Sparrow helplessly.

Phoenix could feel her grasp tightening on the back of his tunic.

"I can't bear to leave you, but I need to do this." pleaded Phoenix quietly.

Sparrow only continued to cry on Phoenix's shoulder which was now starting to soak.

"I promise to write back often." stated Phoenix as he attempted at comforting Sparrow.

His statement was only met with more uncontrollable sobs.

"Sparrow, I want to give this to you." whispered Phoenix with a comforting tone.

He took his left hand and drew out a small wooden pendant of a phoenix and a sparrow circling each other from his pocket.

"It's something I made the night after we had a day out on the town." said Phoenix as he presented the parting gift to Sparrow.

"Every night before you sleep, I want you to hold this up toward the moon and look at it. I'll be looking at the moon as well." finished Phoenix in a comforting tone.

Sparrow slowly took the pendant from Phoenix's hand and looked at it sadly.

"I really have to go. I'm sorry." finished Phoenix as he grabbed his rucksack off the floor and promptly walked out of Sparrow's quarters.

Sparrow briefly glanced up to see her friend leave, and continued to weep. The tears now dropped heavily on the pendant.

Warbler could hear the cries clearly as they echoed on the walls of the ship's hangar. He watched on sadly as his friend Phoenix mounted his skimmer and sped off the unloading ramp of the Thunderbird.

As Phoenix felt the wind whip past his face, he too could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes.


	12. Alone Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: All I'll say is that stuff's going to get even more complicated. Please review, and enjoy!**

 **Late evening, Terra Atmosia, near the training fields…**

Phoenix laid in his cot mundanely as he stared up at the hard-wood ceiling. It was only a few hours since he had last seen his friends before departing for training, and he already missed them dearly.

He had found a rubber ball on the ground, and had begun volleying it against the wall. The quietness of his surroundings could be described as tranquil, but all he found was loneliness.

He procured his blade from his rucksack and looked at it questioningly. The metal hilt sparkled in the moonlight. He carefully extracted the Phoenix crystal from the bottom of the hilt, and inspected it as if to look for cracks and blemishes.

The warm glow of the crystal was the only warmth that kept him company in the cold night.

He held the glistening gem up at the moon. He looked at it calmly reminiscing the times with his friends.

"Tomorrow is going to be a new day, and I'll finally learn how to become a sky knight." Phoenix told himself quietly as he held the Phoenix crystal to his chest, and slowly succumbed to the comforting embrace of sleep.

 **Late evening, on board the Thunderbird, en route to Terra Quies…**

The remaining crew of the Thunderbird had eaten dinner and prepared for the peaceful repose that the night would offer.

All but one member of the Swooping Sparrows that is.

Sparrow looked blankly up at the metallic ceiling from her bed. She had only stopped crying shortly before dinner when Crow, Finch, and Warbler had combined their efforts to console her as best as they could.

She got off her bed and walked over to the workstation. She started manipulating a few crystals, playing around with them aimlessly.

After around five minutes of fidgeting with her crystals, she walked out of her room and approached the bridge.

She stepped out onto the deck of the now auto-piloted Thunderbird as it rolled casually through the sky.

Sparrow carefully raised the pendant, that was now strung around her neck, and presented it toward the moon.

She looked at it sadly observing the careful curves and etches that made up the phoenix and the sparrow on the pendant.

"I know you're looking too." whispered Sparrow softly.

She eventually returned to her quarters, and held the pendant tightly against her chest, as she too, slowly drifted off to sleep.

 **Early morning, Terra Atmosia, near the training fields…**

The warm sun slowly crested over the horizon on Terra Atmosia.

Phoenix slowly opened his eyes to see the blurry light shining towards him.

As he slowly adjusted his vision to the light, a man in a brown hood gilded with golden streaks at the seams stepped toward him. He had wise grey eyes and a fluffy white beard.

"You're Phoenix?" asked the mysterious man.

"Yes." replied Phoenix slowly.

"Oh wonderful. I'm Primiceriatus. I'm your mentor." the mentor said as he walked over and picked up Phoenix's blade.

"It seems to be missing its crystal." stated Primiceriatus as he looked at the empty socket.

"Oh, here." replied Phoenix as he tossed the Phoenix crystal to his mentor.

Primiceriatus inspected the crystal and inserted the crystal into the socket. He ignited the blade which gave a low hum and projected a bright orange flare.

Primiceriatus' eyes widened to which Phoenix walked over, now with a genuine look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Phoenix.

"This was your fathers wasn't it." asked the old man flatly.

"Yes, it was." replied Phoenix.

"There is much to be learned. Come, come, follow me." finished Promiceriatus now in a more uplifting tone as he strode off in the direction of the training fields.

Phoenix grabbed his rucksack and quickly caught up with his mentor as they walked towards the rising sun.

 **Early afternoon, on board the Thunderbird, en route to Terra Quies…**

The crew had sat down for lunch around the meeting table on the bridge.

The Swooping Sparrows were enjoying sauerkraut with reheated Quies-beef patties.

"The freezing process really keeps the flavor in." commented Finch as he shoved another piece of patty into his mouth.

"You guys like the spicy sauerkraut? I thought the spice really brings out the flavor of the greens." continued Warbler pleasantly.

"I can really feel the kick. I like that." replied Crow as he took another bite from the pile of sauerkraut on his plate.

"How about you Sparrow?" asked Finch as he continued to devour his lunch.

The guys all looked up to Sparrow at that moment and found her only poking at the reheated patty.

"I guess it's ok." replied Sparrow gloomily.

The helmsman, sharpshooter, and weapons specialist shared a look of concern for their crystal mage.

"Sparrow, we miss him too." started Warbler.

"We still have a terra to protect, and Phoenix will be back at one point or another." added Crow.

"Have hope, if the five of us can lead a coup and succeed in overthrowing the Cyclonian occupation on Terra Quies, then we can tolerate waiting a year for Phoenix's return." concluded Finch as he got up to put away his empty plate.

The three of them finished cleaning their dishes and left the bridge to perform other activities around the ship, leaving Sparrow to sit at the table.

Sparrow stuck her dish inside the refrigerator, and headed towards her quarters. She closed the door and flipped open a book about manipulating crystals.

 **Late afternoon, Terra Atmosia, in the training fields…**

After a morning of jogging, traversing a standardized parkour course, and a very short lunch break, Phoenix found himself slicing through dummies with his crystal powered blade.

"Feel the flow and motion of the blade. Do not resist the motion, let the blade guide you." stated Promiceriatus calmly as he watched the sky knight to-be dash through several dummies.

After eviscerating a few more straw dummies, the mentor clapped his hands twice and Phoenix extinguished the orange flare of his blade.

"Your physical abilities are quite remarkable. You remind me of your father when he trained with me." stated Promiceriatus.

"You trained my father?" asked Phoenix slightly out of breath.

"Yes, he was one of my star pupils. He had good moral fibre, and he always put the safety of others before his own." continued the mentor.

The student and the master stood in silence for a moment as the wind peacefully blew past them.

"Something is distracting you, isn't it." commented Promiceriatus.

"It's nothing." stated Phoenix calmly.

"You have time to think about her later. Come, come, this way." concluded Promiceriatus as he walked off toward the lush treeline a short distance away from them.

Phoenix, slightly confused and disturbed by what his mentor had stated, followed the wise man toward the forest.

"You are strong in body. Let us see how strong you are in mind." commented Promiceriatus as they proceeded into the dense vegetation.


	13. Restraint, Discernment, Adaptability

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Some more turbulence coming in the next few chapters. Stay tuned!**

 **Early evening, Terra Atmosia, in the forest near the training fields…**

The master and his apprentice had been walking for some time now. The creaking of twigs breaking under their respective feet as they proceeded through the thick vegetation were the only sounds to be heard in the entirety of the forest.

"We are arriving at our destination shortly." remarked Primiceriatus calmly.

"Alright." replied Phoenix simply now realizing that he was sweating immensely while his master didn't even show the slightest shortness of breath.

"We are here." stated Primiceriatus calmly as he pointed his walking staff at an ominous looking cave embedded within a clutter of trees.

"Enter the cave, I'll see you back at camp tonight." commented the master calmly as he started walking back toward the training fields.

"So, you just want me to walk in there and do what?" shouted Phoenix to his master who was now a greater distance away.

"Yep, you'll know." replied his master shouting back with a reassuring smile on his face.

Phoenix looked at the cave uneasily and stepped towards it.

Upon entering the cave, he felt a cool breeze blow past him from within the cave. With that knowledge, he knew that there had to be an exit, and so, he proceeded.

Phoenix continued into the innards of the dark series of tunnels with his ignited blade lighting the path. He could hear various creatures scuttling around, and he saw small bats swooping over his head.

He continued his journey in silence until he heard footsteps.

"There he is! Get him!" yelled a Cyclonian soldier rushing towards him with staff in hand.

Phoenix swung violently at the soldier severing his left arm.

The soldier collapsed at Phoenix's feet and begged for mercy.

"You'll have complete power over him. Make him suffer. After all, he is your enemy." echoed an ominous voice.

"He's wounded, he can't hurt anyone now. Why should I?" yelled Phoenix to the voice.

"Because you can choose whether he lives or dies, and seeing that he is your enemy, you know what the right choice is." continued the voice.

"No, you're wrong. I'm getting him to-

Before Phoenix could finish his sentence, the wounded Cyclonian had disappeared.

Phoenix looked bewildered at the spot where the soldier had previously lay, and continued his journey through the cave.

It had felt like years since he last seen natural light. He guessed it was probably past midnight by now.

As he turned a corner, he saw a white luminescent glow from ahead of him. As he approached the object suspiciously, he checked his surroundings to ensure his safety before stepping next to the object.

"An Infinity Stone?" he exclaimed trying to contain his excitement knowing how rare the item was.

"Take it, take what is yours." stated the ominous voice again.

Phoenix considering his previous experience and hearing the unsettling voice again slowly backed away from the crystal.

"What are you doing? Seize the power you fool! It is the only way to ensure your might and influence." came the voice again.

"No." replied Phoenix simply.

The voice gave a blood curdling scream of frustration and disappeared once more.

Phoenix, now slightly shaken, continued his journey through the cave.

Phoenix could feel his feet aching under him. If he kept walking, he felt as if his feet would surely fall off.

"Phoenix!" yelled a familiar female voice suddenly.

Phoenix, recognizing the distressed voice, rushed toward the origin of the voice and stopped at a cavern in the cave.

To his horror, he saw Sparrow chained against a wall and Warbler, Crow, and Finch were trapped in a steel cage next to her.

"You have two options, them, or her." stated the ominous voice.

"So, who's it going to be, sky knight?" taunted the ominous voice.

Phoenix looked at his four captured friends and glared hatefully at the dark figure that was now materializing in the center of the room.

"Neither." answered Phoenix as he channeled what energy he had left and lunged defiantly at the dark figure that now slashed at him with its own blade.

Phoenix saw a blinding white light before he felt himself being thrown against a hard surface.

"Phoenix, Phoenix, boy, can you hear me?" asked a familiar wise voice as Phoenix came to.

Phoenix could hear his ears ringing and felt his head throbbing as he slowly regained full consciousness.

"Just like your father before you. I'm impressed." stated Primiceriatus as he used a linen cloth to wipe the sweat off Phoenix's forehead.

"You have done well. Get some rest. There is still much to be learnt." finished Primiceriatus as he walked off into the night.

Phoenix lay back in his cot with his heart still pounding in his chest.

He extracted the crystal from its hilt and put it up to the moon, enjoying the solitude that it brought him.

He huddled it closely, and succumbed to his exhaustion.


	14. Safeguard

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: With Phoenix occupied in his training, let's see how our Swooping Sparrows are doing! Also, from now on, when words are in** _ **italics**_ **, that means it is writing from a letter (like what you'll see in this chapter).**

 **3 months since Phoenix began his training, early afternoon, Terra Quies, on board the Thunderbird…**

The crew gathered happily around the large table situated on the bridge as Crow brought in a small stack of letters.

Letters usually took forever to get to the Swooping Sparrows as they were always jumping form terra to terra on various missions.

"This one's for Finch, this one's for Warbler, this one's Sparrow's, and this one's mine!" said Crow enthusiastically as he finished arranging the letters on the table.

"This is from Phoenix!" exclaimed Finch excitedly.

"Oh, I wonder what he wrote!" continued Warbler with the same level of excitement in his voice.

"He misses my rendition of Quies-beef spaghetti!" shouted Crow with a surprised but happy tone.

"Someone remind me to make him that when he gets back." finished the merb.

Sparrow strode back to her room to read the letter privately.

 _Dear Sparrow,_

 _It's been three months, and training has been going well. I even have some fancy new flying tricks to show you._

 _I wish I could time travel across the next nine months. I miss you guys. I miss you._

 _Every night, I hope you've been looking up at the moon. I know I have._

 _See you around._

 _From, your friend,_

 _Phoenix_

Sparrow folded up the letter and slid it into a drawer at her work station.

She opened a crystal mage manual and began reading. After a few moments, she saw a small dampened spot on the book. She felt her eyes heating up and welling up with tears.

She wiped them quickly, as to avoid crying any further.

"I have to focus on my studies. Phoenix would've wanted that." she whispered to herself quietly.

With that, she stood up and resumed the activity she was performing before Crow called everyone to get their letter.

She sat cross-legged on her bed for a few moments. She could then feel the three crystals she had arranged in a line on her table begin to levitate and circle around her.

Her concentration lasted another thirty seconds before she heard the crystals dropping to the ground.

She had been practicing binding, and like any crystal mage, was trying to master it.

"Everyone, report to the bridge immediately!" yelled Crow over the intercom in a more frantic tone.

The occupants of the ship quickly rushed to the bridge and arranged themselves around the large table which now had a map of the sector on it.

"You see these little uncharted isles that look like tiny terras?" asked Crow.

"Yeah." replied Finch flatly.

"The Minister of Quies has sources that say the Cyclonians are preparing an observation post here to prepare for an upcoming attack.

The crew looked shocked at the merb. The four knew that ever since their initial coup and subsequent victory over the Cyclonians, there had been little to no Cyclonian activity in the sector.

The thought of an all-out assault being planned once more on the terra sent a shiver down everybody's spine.

"We're going to head over to those isles, and investigate the situation." said Crow as he finished the briefing.

With that, Crow ignited the Thunderbird's engine and the crew soared towards the suspicious isles.

Crow stopped the Thunderbird shortly before entering cannon range of the small isles.

From there, Warbler, Finch, and Sparrow jettisoned themselves off the Thunderbird's runway and soared towards the isles on their skimmers.

The three landed and parked their skimmers under the cover of thick vegetation on one of the isles before dismounting and beginning reconnaissance.

"Looks like those sources were right." whispered Finch to his team quietly as he spotted Cyclonian personnel moving crates of supplies from their skimmers to a camouflaged base hidden in the vegetation.

"Warbler, take the Cyclonian on the right, I'll take the one on the left. Sparrow, get ready to run." instructed Finch quietly.

"Three, two, one, execute." said Finch as two crystal blasts simultaneously hit the unsuspecting Cyclonians, thereby paralyzing them temporarily.

Sparrow began her run toward the compound and now pointed her staff at the entrance.

Finch and Warbler cautiously created a perimeter around the entrance.

"Ok, go." whispered Warbler cautiously.

The doors slid open and Sparrow walked in first, staff motioning at every angle as she prepared for an ambush.

The three were walking silently when suddenly a metal door sprang up between the group, putting Warbler and Finch on one side, and Sparrow on the other.

"Things just got a little more complicated, we'll find another way out of here and report back to the Thunderbird to get reinforcements." ordered Finch.

With a nod from Sparrow and Warbler, the two groups veered away from the door to find other routes of escape.

Finch and Warbler simply walked back out through the front door, surprised to find no enemy personnel present, and continued back towards the treeline to wait for Sparrow.

Sparrow continued lurking through the dimly lit corridors.

She suddenly felt a metallic staff literally sweep her off her feet, and saw nothing but black in the next instant.

 **About an hour later…**

Finch and Warbler had been waiting for some time now.

"What's going on in there? You think Sparrow's ok?" asked Finch nervously.

"It's been an hour or so since we last saw her, something's wrong." stated Warbler anxiously.

"What should we do?" continued Finch quietly.

"I think I can help." stated an English voice from behind them.

Finch and Warbler turned around to see a young man with brown hair and amber-eyes.

He wore a grey tunic with archaic looking armor plastered on to his shoulder and chest.

"Who are you?" asked Warbler.

"My name's Buzzard, crystal mage and admirer of the Swooping Sparrows who protected our terra numerous times." answered the similar-aged crystal mage.

"I was out here looking for a place to meditate, when I saw the Thunderbird and your skimmers speeding toward this isle. I just had to see what was going on." continued the crystal mage.

"I saw your friend being taken to an encampment not far from here. Please we only have a bit of time before they transport her back to Cyclonia for imprisonment." concluded the crystal mage.

The two friends and their new ally proceeded towards the encampment that held Sparrow.

The three found themselves staring at a fully-stocked and fortified Cyclonian encampment where there were at least twenty Cyclonian soldiers patrolling the base.

"We need to get reinforcements." stated Finch as he turned to head for his skimmer.

"My friend, leave this to me." stated Buzzard reassuringly before literally teleporting a short distance away to hide in a new bush.

"Did he just-

Before Warbler could finish his sentence, their new-found ally was tearing into the Cyclonian soldiers in the camp.

The flashes of purple, white, and red danced a lethal dance in the air as Cyclonian soldiers collapsed in pools of their own blood.

"He's insane." commented Finch still shocked by the spectacle.

Sparrow looked confusedly out of her cell as she witnessed the slaying of her Cyclonian captors.

"Another crystal mage?" she remarked quietly to herself as she saw a few more blasts of light.

Just then, her cage snapped open and in came Buzzard.

"No time to explain, follow me!" exclaimed Buzzard hectically as he grabbed Sparrow's hand and ran towards the exit of the encampment.

"Run!" he yelled to Finch and Warbler as the four made a frantic dash for their skimmers.

Finch and Warbler climbed onto their skimmers and noticed a metallic looking skimmer, that wasn't there previously, that had been parked beside Sparrow's skimmer.

"This guy is really starting to mess with my head." commented Finch shortly before igniting his engine and speeding off toward the awaiting Thunderbird.

Warbler followed and looked back to see Sparrow and Buzzard clambering onto their rides and speeding off just as the Cyclonian troops reached their original landing zone and cursed at the skimmers while beckoning their fists and staffs towards the escaped Swooping Sparrows.

"Crow, tell Quies Military Command to launch an all-out offensive on these isles. All occupants are hostile." reported Finch to Crow through his skimmer's built-in communication device.

"Got it." replied Crow simply.

"Oh yeah, and who's the new guy?" asked Crow.

"I'll tell you when we get back." replied Finch as he ended the conversation and landed on the Thunderbird's runway.


	15. Who's Buzzard?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Wow, another crystal mage? It looks like he's hella powerful too.**

 **Early evening, Terra Quies, on board the Thunderbird…**

"Thanks to the quick actions of the Swooping Sparrows, Quies can sleep safely tonight as the Quies military have moved in and crushed the Cyclonian uprising." reported the news anchor on the screen.

The crew cheered as their actions have prevented the terra from falling to the hands of Cyclonia.

"Good job guys. I think this calls for a celebration." announced Crow happily as he went to the kitchen.

That night, the four Swooping Sparrows sat around the dinner table talking about the day's events.

After Finch briefly described the actions of Buzzard during the reconnaissance mission gone awry, the pending question in the room was addressed.

"So, Buzzard. We're down a person right now, we've got an extra room on the ship, and you've saved one of our friends from the grasp of Cyclonia. Would you like to join us?" finished Crow with a hopeful tone.

"It would be my honor." replied Buzzard as he gazed over at Sparrow and winked.

Sparrow looked slightly shocked by this action and blushed.

"Alright, that settles things then." said Crow simply as he took his dish over to Finch and Warbler who were busily scrubbing away at the pots and pans in the sink.

"So, you're a crystal mage too?" asked Sparrow to Buzzard.

"Yes, there aren't many of us around you know." replied Buzzard in his polite English accent.

"Yeah, I know." answered Sparrow flatly.

"And thanks for saving me back there." added Sparrow gratefully.

Buzzard got up from his seat and lowered his head to Sparrow's ear.

"Anything for the cutest crystal mage on the ship." whispered Buzzard as he walked off to add his plate to the pile that Finch and Warbler were busily working on.

Sparrow grew considerably redder due to the remark.

"See you guys tomorrow!" shouted Buzzard.

"And thanks for dinner Crow!" he added before walking to his quarters.

"You're welcome!" Crow shouted back.

"Wow, what a nice guy." remarked Warbler as he picked up Sparrow's empty plate and added it to the now shrinking pile of plates.

"Yeah, what a nice guy." murmured Sparrow as she now felt extremely confused by the evening's developments.


	16. The Phoenix's Resolve

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Alright, so back to our friend Phoenix. Last chapter was designed just to introduce Buzzard. We'll see more of him shortly.**

 **6 months since Phoenix began his training, early afternoon, Terra Atmosia, on the training fields…**

"One, two, three, strike!" shouted Primiceriatus watching as the now more muscular, more mature, dark-haired blue-eyed sky knight to-be swung at the straw dummies posted around him.

Straw was launched every which way as the blade cleaved through the makeshift targets.

"Good, I see you've taken a liking to these drills then." stated Primiceriatus.

"Yeah, I realized that it keeps me alive." replied Phoenix with a slight chuckle.

Phoenix used to think the same repetitive drills that he performed day in and day out were useless. He soon found that repetition, continual practice, and continual improvement would often give him the edge over the enemy.

"Good that you see it that way." replied Primiceriatus with a chuckle of his own.

"I think you're ready to learn your special move." Primiceriatus stated as he closed his eyes in thought.

"Special move?" Phoenix questioned.

"Every sky knight has a special move that they utilize in dire situations." stated Primiceriatus.

"Come, come, this is a very special and important part of your training." stated Primiceriatus as he walked toward the sky council buildings.

Phoenix walked along side his master before they came to a room within one of the sky council buildings.

"Master Primiceriatus." greeted the guard standing at the dojo door.

"He is ready." stated Primiceriatus simply.

"Yes master. Apprentice Phoenix, right this way." said the guard as he motioned for Phoenix to follow him inside.

Phoenix had lost sight of his master. He admired the iron and wood plates that made up the dojo's interior as he followed the guard to their destination.

"In here please." said the guard as he motioned for Phoenix to enter the room.

The room was poorly lit and Phoenix found himself slightly unsure of what he had just walked into.

"No worries my apprentice, just ignite your sword, and prepare for the onslaught." echoed Primiceriatus' voice from somewhere in the shadows.

Phoenix did as he was told and ignited his father's blade.

The room suddenly lit up, and five guards dressed in heavy armor appeared in front of him.

"Don't worry, they are armored heavily enough, so that you will not kill anyone on accident." stated Primiceriatus from the balcony.

"Fight them and discover your special move." instructed the master with a reassuring smile.

"You can do this young one." encouraged one of the heavily armored guards in front of Phoenix.

"Alright, here goes nothing." concluded Phoenix as he lunged at the guards and unleashed a clash of crystal-powered blade versus their armor plates.

The duel went on for around fifteen minutes before the now winded Phoenix looked up at his master for guidance.

"Phoenix, remember the routine that we've gone over many times." stated the master watching his apprentice.

Phoenix charged at the guards again, now taunting them to make the first move.

"One, two, three, strike. One, two, three, strike." repeated Phoenix internally as the guards lunged at him and he lashed back according to his training.

Suddenly, he felt a weird energy building up inside of him.

He looked confusedly as his body glowed with an orange flare, much like the colour of his blade.

Instinctively, he dodged, ducked, and struck at the guards, who in a matter of seconds, would have been cut down if they weren't in heavy armor.

Phoenix stood in the middle of the now disarmed and fallen guards and looked up at his master in shock.

"The Phoenix's Resolve. Just like your father before you." stated Primiceriatus with a smile.

The room erupted with applause, even the heavily armored guards got back up to join in the applause.

"Your training is done for the day. Good job Phoenix." stated Primiceriatus simply.

Phoenix, still slightly shocked by what he had just did, shook hands with the guards and saluted up to his master before returning to his quarters to clean up and relax for the remainder of the day.

Seeing as he had extra time on his hands, Phoenix grabbed for a stack of papers and a writing utensil, and began to write to his friends who he had missed for six months now.

After finishing his letter to Finch, Warbler, and Crow, he began the letter to Sparrow.

 _Dear Sparrow,_

 _I hope you're doing well._

 _I just learned-_

"Dang it." Phoenix whispered to himself.

Phoenix stopped writing as to recollect his thoughts.

 _Dear Sparrow,_

 _I hope you're doing well_

 _I hope we're still friends after thi-_

Phoenix scrunched the paper into a ball and launched it across the room with all his strength.

"Phoenix tell her how you really feel. Tell her how you felt from the time at the infirmary, to the time at Quies' Finest, and to the time in the war room." Phoenix told himself internally.

"Ok heart, you win." Phoenix murmured silently to himself as he began to write again.

 _Dear Sparrow,_

 _I hope you're doing well._

 _I've been really needing to get this off my chest._

 _I haven't seen you in so long, and I should've told you this the day that I left._

 _I just wanted to say,_

 _I like you more than as a friend._

 _I love you._

 _From, your sky knight,_

 _Phoenix_

Phoenix let out a loud sigh as he put the letter into an envelope, and walked over to put the four letters into the local mail station.

Phoenix ate alone at a local restaurant, to congratulate himself on learning his special move, and returned silently to his quarters to rest up for the next day of training.

That night, he looked up at the moon before he slept, hoping that a certain crystal mage somewhere in the Atmos was looking as well.


	17. My Phoenix

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Wow, a confession. It might be a bit too late though. This chapter is going to have some flashbacks from the time between this chapter and the events of Safeguard (6 months total). Let's begin!**

 **9 months since Phoenix began his training, late evening, on board the Thunderbird…**

The Thunderbird and its crew, in a rare instance, had a holiday tomorrow. As such, the team had washed up early, and gone to sleep.

Well, not all the team.

Sparrow drowsily walked onto the front deck of the Thunderbird and gazed at the moon aimlessly.

"I see, moon-gazing's on the agenda tonight." commented Buzzard as he joined Sparrow on the deck and leaned up against the railing.

"Hey, I don't know if this is the best of times, but I notice you are looking at it every night and holding that pendant of yours as you do. Is everything alright?" questioned Buzzard directly.

"Yeah, just missing a friend is all." Sparrow murmured quietly.

"I see." stated Buzzard rubbing his chin in contemplation.

 **6 months ago, Terra Merbia, Mission Statement: Humanitarian Aid to Devastated Merb Populace…**

Another one of Terra Merbia's frequent natural disasters had struck, and the populace was hit hard.

With many wounded, dead, or dying, the Swooping Sparrows were one of the sky knight squadrons to provide relief and support to the suffering populace.

"Follow me!" yelled Buzzard over the thunder and lightning to Sparrow and a group of merbs as they traversed the treacherous forest under a heavy rain storm.

"Watch your step, keep the children in the middle of the line!" shouted Buzzard again in his English accent.

Just then, lightning struck a nearby tree and set it ablaze.

"Sparrow, get up here!" called Buzzard as his team mate rushed toward the front of the pack of refugees.

"Shields now!" commanded Buzzard as he and Sparrow procured a crystal from their respective pockets and formed two shields, fighting back the blaze, as the frightened merbs passed frantically behind their crystal-generated shields.

 **Back in the present…**

"Look, I just want you to be happy. If it's about Phoenix, just know that he's moved on. He's a sky knight now. He'll be back in due time, but he has little to no time for you." continued Buzzard.

Sparrow could feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes, but only continued to gaze up at the moon. Part of her told her that he was right.

 **3 months ago, Terra Rex, Mission Statement: Secure Terra Rex from the Cyclonians…**

"Let's move, come on!" yelled Finch hectically as he motioned for the Rex resistance to follow him.

"Finch, we can't take much more of this artillery fire!" shouted Warbler as he dressed the wound of a resistance fighter.

"It's up to Buzzard and Sparrow now!" shouted Finch as he returned fire against the advancing Cyclonian ground forces.

Buzzard and Sparrow had managed to slip behind enemy lines, and were now preparing to strike the crystal cannons that were bombarding their forces in the city.

"Now!" yelled Buzzard as he leapt from cover and began firing crystal bolts in every direction striking down many Cyclonians as he went.

"I got your back!" shouted Sparrow, as she too, dove from cover and fired stun bolts at the Cyclonian ranks.

The two approached a giant crystal cannon and prepared to detonate it with a combustion reaction from two crystals.

"Do it!" yelled Buzzard to Sparrow as she manipulated two crystals and set them on the cannon.

Just as she was running back to cover, she got hit in the arm and fell painfully.

Sparrow briefly glanced at the pendant that Phoenix had made for her. It had been split right down the middle between the sparrow and the phoenix.

"No!" yelled Buzzard as he disengaged from fighting the remaining Cyclonian troops, leapt next to Sparrow, and ignited a shield using his crystal.

The cannon collapsed hitting the shield directly, causing Buzzard to shift slightly under its weight.

"I gotcha." remarked Buzzard with a slight smirk to which Sparrow blushed slightly.

 **Back in the present…**

"I mean look at the last time you guys got letters from him. I wasn't a part of this crew before, so I understand that he didn't know I was here. But you! He didn't even send one to you!" stated Buzzard in an outraged tone.

Sparrow, now fully in tears, glanced blearily at the two halves of the pendant.

 **2 weeks ago, early afternoon, on board the Thunderbird…**

"Alright everyone, mail time!" announced Crow happily.

Crow handed Finch, Warbler, Sparrow, and Buzzard their mail.

"Ah, my package of new crystal mage texts came in!" exclaimed Buzzard excitedly.

Sparrow inspected her mail carefully, she had a few letters and a package.

After rummaging through the contents thoroughly and failing to find what she was looking for, Sparrow ran for her room, slammed the door shut, and began to cry.

She knew that every time she had read one of Phoenix's letters, she would begin to weep. In turn, she had stopped reading them, but the fact that he didn't even send one to her now completely crushed her.

 **Back in the present…**

"Sparrow, I'm here for you. I have time for you. I will never leave you." pleaded Buzzard in a gentle tone.

 **1 week ago, Terra Quies, Quies Royal Hotel Dining Hall…**

"You look exquisite tonight. Then again, you always do." stated Buzzard as he saw his date approach in the eye-catching violet gown that he had bought her.

Sparrow turned a bright shade of red as she stood next to him. He took her hand and gripped it firmly.

"Shall we?" he asked the other crystal mage as they made their way into the dining hall.

The two found a booth near the end of the hall away from the other guests.

To Sparrow's surprise, Buzzard sat next to her instead of across from her in the booth.

"What will it be tonight sir?" asked the waiter.

"Two Quies steaks please." answered Buzzard as he flashed a dashing grin to Sparrow.

"Very well sir." stated the waiter as he walked off to serve the other guests.

"This place is so fancy." stated Sparrow in a bit of awe.

"Anything for the most precious crystal in my life." replied Buzzard as Sparrow now turned a full shade of red.

 **Back in the present…**

Sparrow now turned to stare at him, tears in her eyes, to which he pulled her close to his chest and hugged her tightly.

"You don't need him. You have me." concluded Buzzard as he gazed into Sparrow's sad emerald eyes.

It was at this moment that Buzzard gently caressed Sparrow's cheek and met her lips with his.

Sparrow, extremely surprised and bewildered at this point, did nothing except close her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Maybe he was right. Maybe he is right for me." Sparrow said internally as her intentions were now torn between Phoenix and Buzzard.


	18. Clipped Wings

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: That last chapter, wow, just wow. Phoenix is returning home soon, but not before his master gives him a little parting gift…**

 **A year since Phoenix began his training (last day of training), Terra Atmosia, early morning, near the training fields…**

The now fifteen-year-old sky knight, sleepily opened his eyes as he saw the morning light graze his eyelids.

He saw the familiar figure of his master sitting in the distance on a bench as he held a steaming beverage in his right hand.

Phoenix packed his necessities and headed out to join his master on the bench.

"Ah, young Phoenix. Terra Atmosia grants us a beautiful morning, yes?" asked Primiceriatus now sipping his tea.

"Yeah, it is quite the sight. And Master Primiceriatus, thank you for everything." replied Phoenix as he stood up and gave a small bow to his master.

"No need to thank me. I am only doing what is necessary to ensure that the next generation of sky knights are ready for whatever challenges may arise." commented the master calmly.

"But there is one more thing that I must tell you before you go." commented the master before standing up and looking toward the training fields now submerged in the sun's rays.

"What's that master?" asked Phoenix back curiously.

"Your father was a very special sky knight." began Primiceriatus.

"During one of his many training expeditions, he found a phoenix's nest, and with it, an orphaned phoenix." continued Primiceriatus.

Phoenix's jaw dropped at this point.

"You're not telling me-

"Your father trained with the phoenix, and tamed it. The two became a formidable team, and great friends." stated Primiceriatus cutting Phoenix's sentence off.

"Years ago, when the Cyclonians invaded your terra, eye witness reports say that a phoenix, whom your father named Redemption, was severely wounded and captured near the end of the battle." stated Primiceriatus.

"So, what am I to do?" asked Phoenix.

"It is believed that Redemption was taken to Cyclonia and imprisoned there permanently. If you free the phoenix, you would've helped your father, and gained a very valuable ally and friend." finished Primiceriatus sipping his tea once more.

"Thank you for this information master. I'll inform my team, so that we can promptly rescue Redemption." finished Phoenix.

"Very good, young Phoenix. Safe journeys, and may right thinking and actions guide your path." finished the master now standing and bowing to his graduated pupil.

"Thank you. I'll try to visit often." stated Phoenix respectfully now returning the bow.

"I'll be counting on that." stated the master now giving Phoenix a warm smile.

 **Terra Atmosia, late afternoon, at Terra Atmosia's ports…**

Phoenix leaned against his skimmer and surveyed the sky as he was waiting to spot the Thunderbird.

He suddenly saw the sleek outline of the ship coming ever closer toward the port.

He wheeled his skimmer over to the now landed Thunderbird as the cargo ramp came down with a thud.

"Phoenix! I'm so glad to see you!" yelled Finch as he ran over to embrace his friend with a hug.

"It's really good to have you back!" said Warbler enthusiastically as he walked over to Phoenix and bumped fists with the sky knight.

"Quies-beef spaghetti courtesy of yours truly for a celebratory dinner tonight!" stated Crow to Phoenix as he walked over and patted his shoulder.

"Phoenix!" yelled Sparrow from the unloading ramp as she rushed toward him, practically running into him and pinning him to his skimmer.

"It's so good to see you again." said Sparrow in a soft tone.

"You too." responded Phoenix blushing slightly.

"So, you're the great Phoenix that I've been hearing about." said Buzzard as he slowly made his way down the unloading ramp.

"I'm Buzzard. I've been helping your crew out for some time now after you left for training." stated Buzzard as he held out a hand for Phoenix to shake.

"Thanks for your help." replied Phoenix as he shook the similarly-aged crystal mage's hand.

"Everyone, I know we just met back up and all, but I have some pressing matters that I need your help with. Let's chat more on the bridge." stated Phoenix as he began to slowly walk his skimmer toward the Thunderbird.

Phoenix's team walked briskly in front of him to the ship.

As he continued to walk his skimmer towards the waiting ship, he saw Buzzard and Sparrow start holding hands, and Buzzard lightly pecking Sparrow on the cheek with a kiss.

Phoenix's eyes widened at this sight.

He made a mental note to talk with Sparrow later about what he had just witnessed.

"Hadn't she gotten his letter? And if so, had she moved on?" Phoenix questioned internally.

 **Early evening, on board the Thunderbird, en route to Terra Cyclonia…**

"Woah hold up, your father had a phoenix?" asked Finch in shock upon hearing Phoenix's briefing.

"Yeah, apparently so. We need to free it. Not only could it help us, but I know it's what my father would've wanted." concluded Phoenix.

The crew looked around at each other for a moment before they continued observing the map of Cyclonia.

"The Thunderbird might get torn to shreds if it enters Cyclonian territory alone." stated Warbler.

"Not might Warbler, it will." stated Crow flatly.

"That's why we should go in with our skimmers. We can access the cell block where we expect the phoenix to be on foot, bust it out, and escape." suggested Finch.

"Brilliant plan." remarked Buzzard giving Finch a supportive smile.

"I second that." stated Sparrow as she looked at Buzzard.

Phoenix seeing this exchange prevented himself from making any regrettable facial expressions.

"Alright, so it's decided then." Phoenix stated blankly.

With that, the six members separated from the table and walked off to perform any necessary activities before calling it a night.

Phoenix made his way over to Sparrow's room to launch a conversation that was anything but comfortable.

"Hey." said Phoenix simply as he entered to see Sparrow working away at some crystals.

"Hey! It's so good to have you back!" replied Sparrow enthusiastically still manipulating her crystals.

"There's been something I've needed to get off my chest. In fact, I thought I got it off my chest when I sent you that letter." stated Phoenix as Sparrow now dropped what she was doing and stared at him confusedly.

"You never sent me a letter that time. In fact, I was the only one who didn't receive a letter that time." stated Sparrow angrily.

"But-

"You know the days and nights that I've spent missing you! I would look up at the moon and cry because you left! You left me!" continued Sparrow now shouting cutting Phoenix's sentence off.

"I-

"Now you're off chasing some phoenix showing that you still don't have time for me!" exclaimed Sparrow again now in tears.

Buzzard appeared at the door way.

He promptly sat beside Sparrow and hugged her tightly against his chest.

"Get out." he said to Phoenix in a brooding tone.

"I-

"I said, get out!" yelled Buzzard to the now distraught sky knight.

Finch, Warbler, and Crow had now gathered outside of the room wondering what had just occurred.

Phoenix slowly walked out the door, past his friends, and entered his room quietly shutting the door behind him.

He laid on the bed silently and looked up at the cold metallic ceiling.

He tried to hold back tears, but to no avail.

"I've lost her. I chose to become a sky knight over being with her. I guess this is my path now." stated Phoenix as the tears slowly trickled down the sky knight's cheeks.

 **Later that night…**

"I got emotional. I lashed out." stated Sparrow internally.

"Look what I've done, I've hurt a friend now." continued Sparrow in her mental monologue.

"I'll apologize tomorrow. I hope I can make things right." finished Sparrow as she looked out at the moon from her bed.


	19. Nest Divided

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Ouch, Phoenix comes back to the ship only to get this kind of heartbreak? Well, hopefully the mission should take everyone's mind off the matter.**

 **Early morning, on board the Thunderbird, on the outskirts of Terra Cyclonia…**

Phoenix woke up and groggily stumbled into the washroom.

While Phoenix was brushing his teeth, Finch walked in to begin his own morning routine.

"Is there anything I can do to help Phoenix? I can kind of guess what went down last night." stated Finch to his friend with genuine concern.

"No, I hurt Sparrow by leaving, and I don't blame her for what she said to me." replied Phoenix with a tinge of sadness.

"Nevertheless, thanks for looking out for me man." added Phoenix before rinsing and letting out a large sigh.

"Alright, man. As long as you know I got your back." stated Finch as he patted Phoenix on the shoulder before brushing his teeth.

Phoenix left the washroom and made for the dining room.

There, he found Warbler frying up some eggs and Crow mundanely shovelling cereal into his mouth.

"Morning guys." started Phoenix.

"Heyo." replied Crow simply.

"Hey Phoenix, want some eggs?" asked Warbler.

"Sure, thanks." replied Phoenix flatly.

The three continued their morning activities in the dining room quietly for a while.

"Phoenix, don't worry. Things will get better." Crow stated in a reassuring tone.

"Yeah Phoenix, Crow's right." Warbler added as he continued flipping the eggs on the sizzling pan.

"Hey everyone." Sparrow said as she entered the dining room.

"Hey Warbler, I just remembered I have to tend to something in my room. Could I get those eggs in my room please?" asked Phoenix as Sparrow pulled out a seat and sat down.

"Sure bro. Not a problem." answered Warbler flatly.

"Thanks bro, I appreciate that." answered Phoenix as he got up from the table and made for his room.

Another spell of silence was cast upon the occupants of the dining room.

"I don't blame him for being mad at me. I lost control and lashed out." stated Sparrow breaking the silence.

"He's not mad at you." Crow commented as he ate another spoonful of cereal.

"In fact, he thinks you're mad at him." added Warbler as he finished frying some eggs and slid them onto a plate.

"You should go talk to him." stated Crow simply.

"Here take this." offered Warbler as he handed the plate of eggs to Sparrow.

"It will give you an excuse to visit Phoenix. He wouldn't turn down my tasty omelets." concluded Warbler with a warm smile.

"Thanks guys." said Sparrow as she took the plate and headed for the sky knight's room.

Shortly after Sparrow left, Buzzard walked into the kitchen.

"Morning gents." greeted Buzzard.

"Morning Buzzard. Want some pancakes?" asked Warbler.

 **In Phoenix's room…**

Phoenix had kept the rubber ball that he found on Terra Atmosia. He was now volleying the rubber ball against the ceiling aimlessly.

He dropped the rubber ball and picked up his unignited blade looking at it glumly.

Just then, he heard a knock on his door.

"Ah, that must be Warbler with my omelets." stated Phoenix internally as he approached to unlock his door.

Phoenix opened the door to see Sparrow holding a plate of three omelets.

"I want to talk." stated Sparrow as she walked into Phoenix's room and set down the omelets on Phoenix's desk.

"What's there to talk about." stated Phoenix flatly, now beginning to devour the steaming hot omelets.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said and how I acted last night." stated Sparrow.

"It's just-

"Apology accepted." replied Phoenix flatly as he shoved another piece of omelet into his mouth.

"Look I just wanted to say, I wanted to blame you for the way I felt. And I know you had to-

"I know you don't see us in that light. I get it. I'm ok." said Phoenix as he cut off Sparrow's sentence again.

"Phoenix, I still really care-

"Look, I get that you don't want to be with me. In a sense, you're correct. I am a sky knight now, and I need to start prioritizing. On that note, prepare for the upcoming operation today. I don't want any of us getting hurt because we were unprepared." finished Phoenix in a tone evident with hurt.

"That's not what I meant." stated Sparrow internally as her eyes started to brim with tears.

Sparrow showed herself out of Phoenix's room and walked into her own room closing the door behind her.

"I've lost him. I've really done it this time." commented Sparrow internally as she continued to feel torn between the buzzard and the phoenix.

 **Back in Phoenix's room…**

Phoenix finished up the plate of eggs and dragged his fork on the plate gloomily.

"There's no time to feel bad now." he told himself.

"I need to free that Phoenix. I must focus on doing justice for my dad and Redemption." finished Phoenix as he picked up his blade and gave it a determined glare.


	20. Mending and Saving

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: So, now the team are going to break out Redemption, the mystical phoenix, from Cyclonian hands. This should be interesting. I hope you're all enjoying this story, and please feel free to provide some constructive feedback surrounding the story, style, etc. Thanks!**

 **Early afternoon, on board the Thunderbird, on the outskirts of Terra Cyclonia…**

Phoenix grabbed the blade from his room and ignited it momentarily to see if it was working.

After the orange flared from the blade, he extinguished the flare and proceeded towards the hangar.

Before reaching the hangar, he approached Sparrow's room silently.

"Hey again." he said as he poked his head into her doorway.

"Oh hey." replied the crystal mage who was packing some crystals into her rucksack for the upcoming mission.

"Look, I know where your stance on this is and-

"I care a lot about you too. Don't forget that." he said as he cut off her sentence, made his statement, pulled away from her doorway, and headed for the hangar.

"I wonder what he feels about us then. And how about Buzzard?" pondered Sparrow internally as she finished packing her crystals and headed for the hangar bay.

 **At the Thunderbird's hangar bay…**

"Approaching the very borders of Cyclonia. This is as far as she can go." Crow announced over the intercom referring to the Thunderbird.

"Alright everybody. We're in our enemy's backyard, so stick together." started Phoenix.

"Considering we have two crystal mages, it would be wise for us to have one each on either team." continued the sky knight.

"Buzzard, you go with Finch and Warbler. I've heard the stories about crushing the uprising on Terra Quies, so I have faith in your abilities."

"Right." said Buzzard smugly.

"So, Sparrow, you're with me." said the sky knight with a warm smile to his other crystal mage.

"Alright!" replied Sparrow as she tried to contain her excitement.

"Ok Swooping Sparrows, let's swoop!" declared Phoenix.

The five members mounted their skimmers and headed toward the ominous sight that was Terra Cyclonia.

After several minutes of flying, the group broke into two teams.

Finch, Warbler, and Buzzard would buy time by acting as a diversion for the incoming Cyclonian Guards, while Phoenix and Sparrow would investigate the possible area where Redemption was being held.

"Alright lads, follow me!" announced Buzzard as he gracefully dove through two Talon fighters, and shot off two crystal-generated blades, which left them with wounds and gashes everywhere.

 **Cell block, Terra Cyclonia…**

"Hey, this is a restricted area. Stop-

The Cyclonian guard was unable to finish his sentence as his face was met with a paralysis bolt.

"Nice shot." stated Phoenix admiringly.

"Thanks." Sparrow replied with a tinge of happiness.

"By order of the royal guard of Cyclonia, you are under arrest for trespassing, and assault on Cyclonian personnel." announced a royal Cyclonian guard as he appeared with twenty soldiers behind him.

"Just like old times Sparrow." stated Phoenix quietly.

"I miss those days." replied Sparrow in a silent tone.

The crystal mage and sky knight lunged at the enemy ranks. They fought hand-to-hand with the grunts for a while until Phoenix pulled out his new move.

"Phoenix's Resolve!" yelled Phoenix as he glowed with an orange flare and promptly dashed, ducked, and struck through ten of their Cyclonian opponents at once.

After the dust settled, Sparrow saw nothing but a dead pile of Cyclonians at her and Phoenix's feet.

"The Phoenix's Resolve? You found your special move!" said Sparrow excitedly.

"Yeah, found it a while ago while I was at training." Phoenix replied with a wink.

Sparrow blushed slightly at this.

"Come on, let's go get our Redemption." stated Phoenix determinedly.

"Right." replied the crystal mage as she followed closely behind the sky knight who was now sprinting into the Cyclonian prison block.

"What kind of cell block is this?" asked Sparrow quietly.

"I don't know, but it's too quiet. I don't like this." replied Phoenix in a whisper.

Just then, the two companions heard a loud screech coming from a room down the hall.

"This way." said Phoenix as he motioned for Sparrow to follow.

The two came up on a large arch doorway and slowly glared up at the massive fiery bird which had its fiery wings tied down, and beak restrained with a crystal muzzle.

"You think you can get the muzzle off of it?" asked Phoenix quietly.

"I think I can." replied Sparrow as she began working on the phoenix's crystal restraints.

"So, you've found the phoenix. How delightful." came an ominous voice that sounded much like what Phoenix had heard in the cave during his training.

Phoenix ignited his orange blade and circled the room for a moment trying to locate the origin of the voice.

"Show yourself!" he yelled as a dark figure materialized in front of him.

"I pity you, you did not see the potential for your power then, and you still don't see it now." stated the ominous figure referring to Phoenix's experience in the cave.

"Girl, please, stop breaking the crystal restraints. Those are hard to forge you know." continued the mysterious figure as he blasted a crystal bolt near Sparrow.

"Your fight is with me, not her!" yelled Phoenix now holding a ready stance.

"Very well." stated the mysterious figure simply as it procured a shadow scythe from its cloak and locked blades with the young sky knight.

The two clashed against each other for several solid minutes.

As such was occurring, Sparrow frantically broke the crystal restraints which bound the phoenix.

"One more!" she yelled to Phoenix.

"I've had enough of you!" yelled Phoenix as he began charging up Phoenix's Resolve.

"Two can play at that game." replied the mysterious figure as it charged a dark purple orb in its left hand.

The two charged at each other and glared at each other defiantly for a few moments before the resulting power of their combined opposing strengths blasted them in the opposite directions.

"Phoenix!" yelled Sparrow fearfully.

Just then, the phoenix broke free of its restraints and released a wall of flames at the mysterious dark figure.

"Go, run." Phoenix heard in his mind as he slowly came to and saw a giant phoenix creating a wall of flames.

He felt a tug on his hand as Sparrow was now slightly dragging him back out to their skimmers.

The two mounted their skimmers and flew off back toward the Thunderbird.

"Where's Redemption?" asked Phoenix with a look of concern as he peered over his shoulder and saw the crumbling Cyclonian cell block.

Just then, a loud screech echoed across the skies and the fiery fowl flew alongside the two.

"There it is!" yelled Sparrow happily.

"Thank you." Phoenix heard in his head as he looked at the phoenix who seemed to be giving him a small smile.

The three returned to the deck of the Thunderbird and landed one after the other.

Finch and Warbler shortly returned after the two had parked their skimmers.

"Wow, an actual tamed phoenix." stated Warbler in awe as he saw the phoenix perched on the side of the Thunderbird's runway.

"I know. I can't believe it either." stated Phoenix calmly.

"Wait, where's Buzzard?" asked Finch.

As if on cue, the brown-haired crystal mage touched down on the Thunderbird's runway and skidded to a stop a slight distance away from the hangar.

Sparrow ran up to him and gave him a hug to Phoenix's dismay.

"Your hair's a little singed." stated Sparrow as she felt the burnt hairs on his head.

"Oh, that just saves me a trip to the barbers. I needed to get that trimmed anyway." finished the dashing crystal mage as he pecked Sparrow on the cheek and began walking his skimmer back to its spot.

Phoenix tried to hold back a grimace at this point.

"Come let us talk." Phoenix heard in his head as he walked over to Redemption who was now looking off into the sunset as the Thunderbird headed away from Terra Cyclonia.

"I've been told, you knew my father." stated Phoenix as he sat down beside the giant bird.

"Ah yes, Falcon." Phoenix heard in his head as the bird continued to look off at the lowering sun.


	21. Special

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: So, now we are returning to the whole x amount of years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks.**

 **5 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks, on board the Thunderbird, en route to Terra Quies…**

The sun had set and the crew of the Thunderbird had cleaned up and prepared for dinner.

"Has anyone seen Phoenix?" asked Sparrow.

"He's still out on the runway with his phoenix." replied Crow flatly.

"He seems to be talking to it." Warbler said as he placed down a plate of potatoes.

"He's been at it ever since we got back." Finch added.

"I'll go tell him dinner's ready. Be right back." stated Sparrow as she got up from the table and went to get Phoenix.

"You don't suppose the phoenix is hungry too?" asked Buzzard raising an eyebrow.

The three laughed at his comment and began to eat.

 **Out on the deck…**

"So, you incinerated the Cyclonian cruiser's engines while Falcon, my dad, saved the civilian freighter with the rest of the squadron?" asked Phoenix.

"Yep, those Cyclonians were more burnt than when your father left the toast on the campfire for too long." replied Redemption speaking through Phoenix's head.

The two shared a small chuckle.

"Phoenix! Dinner!" Sparrow yelled from the deck.

"Alright, coming!" Phoenix shouted back.

"That friend of yours, Sparrow, is it?" asked Redemption inquisitively.

"Yeah, one of the crystal mages from our crew. What about her?" replied Phoenix questioningly.

"There is something special with that one. I can't specify what it is exactly, but your friend is capable of much preservation or much destruction." continued the phoenix.

"Well, Sparrow's told me she's been training herself on how to do the binding with her crystals." added Phoenix.

"Phoenix, keep her safe. She does not know that she possesses great power yet, but when she does, make sure she stays on the right side of things. With that kind of power in the wrong hands, much more death and destruction will result from it." finished Redemption.

"I see. I'll keep an eye out." stated Phoenix to the fiery bird.

"Alright, well you best be heading to dinner." stated the phoenix.

"Yeah, but wait. How do I find you again?" asked Phoenix.

"Notice how I'm speaking to you through your mind? Just call to me using the same method, and I will arrive promptly. It is how your dad talked to me as well. Goodbye Phoenix." stated Redemption as the large flaming wings fluttered and propelled the phoenix into the night, illuminating its immediate surroundings.

Phoenix left the runway to join his crew.

 **Later that night…**

The crew had cleaned up, and the Thunderbird was now on auto-pilot en route to Terra Quies.

Phoenix tip-toed past his sleeping friends' quarters until he reached Sparrow's quarters.

He knew she was still up, because shortly after dinner, he had told her that he wanted to speak with her in private.

"Sparrow, you awake?" asked the sky knight to the darkened room.

"Yeah, what did you want to talk about?" asked Sparrow in a whisper as she lay on her bed.

"Sparrow, Redemption told me that he sensed great power within you. You're special." stated Phoenix as he sat next to Sparrow's bed.

"Oh, I'm just another crystal mage in-training." replied Sparrow now readjusting her pillow.

"You're more than that according to Redemption." stated Phoenix silently.

"And frankly, you're more than that to me." said Phoenix now looking at those familiar emerald eyes.

"Phoenix, you know I'm with Buzzard. Also, I thought you had dropped your intentions when we had the conversation about priorities." stated Sparrow now sitting up and looking down at her pillow.

"I was rash in what I said. Every night during training, I looked up to the moon because I missed you so much too. I guess I just didn't show it at the time, and now all of this has happened. I know I'm endangering the integrity of the team, but I need you with me. Part of me says, I don't care about the consequences. Like those days when we were freeing Terra Quies. Those days when we were working together to free our people, and having the time of our lives." stated Phoenix yearningly.

"Phoenix, I have to be honest here. I feel conflicted too. Ever since you left, Buzzard stepped into my life, and treats me so nicely. I don't want him heartbroken-

"And what about my heart?" stated Phoenix with a pained look on his face.

"Look, I don't know. Maybe time will help us unravel these conflicts." stated Sparrow evidently torn between the sky knight and the crystal mage.

"Just know this. Forever and always, I love you." stated Phoenix as Sparrow turned a full shade of red.

"Thanks Phoenix, I dare say, I feel the same about you." stated Sparrow silently.

"Then leave him! Please!" stated Phoenix in a more hectic whisper.

"Phoenix, you and I both know that would mean repercussions for the team." replied Sparrow honestly.

"Alright, I shouldn't pester you with this. I don't want to cause any more trouble." stated Phoenix now looking down at his lap.

"You never caused me trouble. If anything, I see it as a wonderful array of adventures." Sparrow finished as she put a hand on Phoenix's lap.

Phoenix, now turning a full shade of red, put his own hand onto Sparrow's hand, held it as he got up, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight." Phoenix said as he headed out of her room.

"Goodnight." replied Sparrow now more conflicted than ever and bearing the same shade of red as Phoenix.


	22. Calling All Sparrows

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Ladies, and gentlemen, we're jumping two years ahead for this next chapter! Terra Vicis comes from the Latin word meaning change, or succession.**

 **3 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks, late afternoon, on board the Thunderbird, Terra Quies…**

The Swooping Sparrows had completed quite a huge number of tasks for a squadron their age.

From staging and succeeding at a coup against the Cyclonian empire on Terra Quies, to humanitarian support on Terra Merbia, and to assisting in the defence of Terra Rex against the hated Cyclonian empire, the crew had seen a lot of action.

For this entire week, the crew was given the rare privilege of a week-long holiday.

"I think we should go to Terra Tropica! I heard the waves are killer these days!" stated Warbler to the rest of the crew who were circled around the meeting table on the bridge.

"Tropica's nice, but I prefer Terra Rex. They have a produce market happening in the next couple of days." stated Crow logically.

"Personally, I want to visit my old master Primiceriatus back on Terra Atmosia." commented Phoenix as he reminisced on his sky knight training days.

"Come on guys. You're all missing the best one of them all! Terra Neon. Flame corn, killer rides, prizes, admit it, they've got everything guys!" stated Finch excitedly.

"That's also an ideal spot to have a date." stated Buzzard as he glanced over at Sparrow and gave her a wink to which she chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, it looks like this is going to have to come to a vote." announced Phoenix.

The polling results came to Terra Tropica coming in at a close second, but Terra Neon won the day.

"Alright. Terra Neon it is!" stated Phoenix enthusiastically.

"Perfect." Buzzard replied as he pecked Sparrow on the cheek before leaving to attend to other matters.

Phoenix had struggled with Sparrow being with Buzzard for a while now. Although he always grimaced at the thought of someone else touching or even flirting with who he loved and wanted, he didn't want to trouble Sparrow, and he trusted that one day, potentially, things would work out in his favor.

 **Evening, Terra Neon…**

The sun began to set as the Thunderbird made its landing on the ports of Terra Neon.

"You think we'll need the mini fridge?" asked Finch as he presented the white box to Warbler.

"I mean you can bring it along if you want, but they might have room service there." stated Warbler logically.

"Good point. Whatever, I'll just bring it." finished Finch as he shrugged and carried the mini fridge with him out of the kitchen.

After the Swooping Sparrows had gathered all that they needed for the week, Crow locked up the Thunderbird and the crew made their way to the hotel that they reserved.

"Penthouse suite, here we come!" announced Phoenix ecstatically as the rest of his crew cheered behind him.

After checking in at the reception desk in the lobby of the hotel, the crew arrived at the suite that overlooked the terra.

"I could get used to this." stated Buzzard as he lounged on the hammock on their balcony.

"This is our time off, so make the most of the next few days on this terra." announced Phoenix as he observed the large brightly lit neon amusement park from a penthouse window.

The crew had a mild first night. Everyone just cleaned up and went to sleep.

The fairground was relatively quiet that night compared to its usual loud atmosphere.

 **The next morning…**

The crew had switched into full holiday mode, evident by their choices of attire.

"I'm going to hit the buffet downstairs. Anyone want to tag along?" asked Warbler in his white tank top, khaki cargo shorts, and rainbow-framed sunglasses.

"Count me in!" said Finch with his messy brown hair flattened by a straw hat.

"I'll come too. I can finally catch up on my issue of Aerial Atmos." stated Crow as he picked up the magazine from his night stand and walked down the corridor to join Warbler and Finch.

"Oh yeah, we'll see you guys at the pool around late afternoon, and we can head for dinner shortly thereafter." stated Crow.

The three remaining individuals in the room gave Crow a nod, so the merb disappeared from their sight to follow the blizzarian and the young man.

"Sparrow and I have made appointments with the massage therapists on the second floor. We'll see you around late afternoon." stated Buzzard now taking two towels in one hand, and Sparrow's hand in his other hand.

"I'll be in the amusement park. I'm going to scout ahead for any new interesting rides that we can go on later. I'll see you guys around dinner then." stated Phoenix with a hint of loneliness in his voice.

"Very well then." replied Buzzard flatly as he walked off with towels and Sparrow in hand.

"Take care Phoenix." Sparrow said looking back at the sky knight.

"Thanks." Phoenix replied promptly.

"I'll try to anyways." he whispered aloud after the two were out of his sight.

 **Mid-afternoon, Terra Neon, fairgrounds…**

After finishing a medium sized bag of flame corn, riding around eight rides, and walking around the fairgrounds aimlessly, Phoenix felt extremely lonely.

"Warbler, Finch, and Crow have sight-seeing, and Sparrow and Buzzard are at massage therapy. Honestly, I should've just joined a group instead of scouting around this amusement park aimlessly." scolded Phoenix internally.

Phoenix checked the time on his communicator and saw that it was almost time to rendezvous at the pool.

With that, he left the fairgrounds, returned to his room to change, and headed down to the pool near the hotel.

When he reached the pool, he saw Buzzard lounging on a deck chair, Warbler playing water polo with Finch and a few others who had now gathered around, and Crow still captivated by his issue of Aerial Atmos.

"Where's Sparrow?" he asked Buzzard assuming the boyfriend would know the whereabouts of his partner.

"She's changing. Sunscreen?" offered Buzzard as he handed over a bottle of spray-on sunscreen.

"Yeah, thanks." replied Phoenix as he took the bottle and started spraying himself with its contents.

"I must ask, what's it like being a sky knight? You run your own squadron, protect all of Atmos, and anything else?" asked Buzzard genuinely.

"Well, it's a lot of work. There really isn't time for holidays like this one, and the sky council is always pestering me with requests and orders. Despite all of that, I enjoy it because I know I'm protecting the innocent from the tyranny of Cyclonia." finished Phoenix with a smile.

"Very admirable of you. You also must see that your job comes with great power. I mean, look at how you fight. You could easily decimate anyone who stands in your way. Along with that, your influence is great as well. I heard the stories about you back on Quies from Sparrow. Quite impressive really." stated Buzzard as he picked up his drink to sip from the straw.

"But being a sky knight isn't about having power. It's about the will to do what is right no matter the circumstances. Power plays a part in keeping people safe, not making them afraid and forcing loyalty." Phoenix stated back calmly.

"Wow, I sound like Master Primiceriatus." thought Phoenix internally.

"I suppose. Well, to each is own." stated Buzzard as he took another sip from his drink.

"Hey guys!" stated Sparrow as she walked over to her two team mates sitting on the deck chairs.

Buzzard almost choked on his drink and Phoenix looked away as he grew a bright shade of red.

"You look stunning as ever." stated Buzzard regaining his composure as the bikini clad crystal mage sat down beside him.

Phoenix maintained his gaze now at Finch, Warbler, and the others participating in water polo as he did not want to make anything awkward.

"Phoenix, what do you think about the new swimsuit Buzzard bought me back at the clothing shop in the hotel?" asked Sparrow as she saw Phoenix looking the other way.

Phoenix inched his head over slowly to face the crystal mage.

"Oh, it's great." Phoenix said slowly as he glanced at Sparrow briefly.

"I'm going to take a nap guys. Tell me when we're heading out." stated Phoenix as he now pulled a straw hat over his face and leaned back onto his deckchair.

"Will do." stated Buzzard simply.

Phoenix was almost asleep until he felt his communicator vibrate in his pocket.

He sat up, knowing that it was probably the sky council, and answered the communicator.

"Phoenix here." he spoke into the communicator.

"Phoenix, we understand that your squadron and you are currently on leave right now, but a situation has come up." stated the council member frantically.

"What's going on?" replied Phoenix with a tone of concern which drew Buzzard's and Sparrow's attention.

"Terra Vicis' King has died and his people are divided. One side are the loyalists who strive to keep the kingdom the way it has always been, while the other side are Cyclonian supporters who are using this situation to their advantage. We've gotten word from the loyalists that the Cyclonian supporters have contacted Cyclonia and Cyclonian troops will be there shortly to invade and annex the terra. We need your squadron to assist in the defense of Terra Vicis." finished the counselor still in a panicked tone.

"Alright counselor, you can leave it to us." stated Phoenix determinedly.

With that, he switched off the communicator and looked over at the two crystal mages who both shared a concerned expression.

"Get your things from the hotel and get back to the ship now. We have an emergency. I'll brief you later about the details." instructed Phoenix.

The two crystal mages nodded and sped back toward the hotel.

Next, Phoenix briskly walked over to Crow.

"Crow we have an emergency. Get your things, we have to go." stated Phoenix urgently.

"Got it." replied Crow simply as he made for his room to gather his belongings."

"Warbler! Finch! Get your things! We have an emergency!" shouted Phoenix to the two in the pool.

"On our way!" Warbler shouted back.

"Got it!" yelled Finch back as the two swam past the confused faces and made for the hotel as well.

"So much for our vacation." said Phoenix as he sprinted alongside Warbler and Finch.


	23. Into the Cage

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: New mission, same crew. Proelium, is Latin for conflict or engagement. Let's begin.**

 **3 years prior to the formation of the Storm Hawks, early evening, on board the Thunderbird, en route to Terra Vicis…**

After rapidly gathering their belongings, the crew scrambled aboard the Thunderbird and sped towards Terra Vicis.

The Swooping Sparrows promptly switched out of their vacation gear, and slipped into their combat tunics.

"Terra Vicis is in trouble. With their king dead, loyalists and civilians alike find themselves in the threat of Cyclonian occupation thanks to the terra's domestic Cyclonian supporters." started Phoenix.

"Our mission is to assist in preserving the current government, and foil Cyclonia's plans for invading and annexing the terra." continued Phoenix.

"According to the sky council, we're currently the only squadron on this operation. This means we could be staying for a while ensuring that the local loyalist forces and government are prepared for the upcoming challenges that will arise during the Cyclonian intervention." informed Phoenix as he glanced around the briefing table at his squadron.

"Once we land, we will establish contact with the local government, coordinate with what little loyalist military they have left considering many others have either defected, are fighting, or have been killed, and prepare for the upcoming Cyclonian invasion fleets." finished Phoenix in a sturdy tone.

"Wait, did you just say, fleets?" asked Crow with nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah, not fleet. Fleets." clarified Phoenix which drew nervous looks on the faces around him.

"Alright everyone, we did this on Quies, we can do it again." stated Phoenix confidently.

"Right." stated Finch sharing his friend's confident tone.

"I sure hope so." stated Crow as he walked over to continue piloting the ship.

"We got this." stated Warbler as he made for the hangar bay.

"We're with you Phoenix." said Buzzard before leaving for his quarters.

"Terra Vicis has your and the original leadership of the Quies Resistance's guidance. We'll be alright." said Sparrow as she patted Phoenix on the back and made for her quarters.

Phoenix found himself alone looking at the map of Terra Vicis. Unlike Terra Quies, Terra Vicis was a land that was rather mountainous.

Rather than fields with rows of crops and forests, there were certain areas that were already industrialized and mountains dominated the rest of the land.

"I suppose guerilla tactics should be sufficient." stated Phoenix internally.

"Worst comes to worst, I can pull a favor or two from the now sturdily established Quies military back at home. And, I have Redemption." continued Phoenix internally.

"Let's hope my sky knight training pays off." finished Phoenix internally as he now made for the hangar bay to prepare his skimmer.

 **Midnight, Terra Vicis…**

The Thunderbird landed under the cover of darkness near the capital city of Terra Vicis at a small secluded loyalist airfield.

Vicis loyalists greeted the sky knight squadron, and under Crow's direction, the crews started refuelling and servicing the Thunderbird.

The rest of the squadron unloaded their necessities, and prepared to rendezvous with the local loyalist government.

"I'll catch up with you guys after I see that the Thunderbird is ready for evacuation at a moment's notice." stated Crow to the rest of the crew.

"Alright Crow, we'll see you in the city. Be careful." stated Phoenix.

After the merb gave him a reassuring nod, Phoenix turned around to the rest of his crew to begin the short briefing.

"The capital city, Proelium, should be north of us." stated Phoenix to his squadron.

"Remember, the place is in revolt, so keep these hoods on until we get to the rendezvous point instructed by the acting governor." concluded Phoenix as he handed out simple tattered brown hoods to his squadron.

"Swooping Sparrows, let's swoop." stated Phoenix as he pulled the hood over his head and sped off in the direction of the capital city.

His squadron followed closely behind as they left the airfield.

The place was quite serene for a terra in revolt.

It wasn't till the squadron had reached the city limits where they saw and heard the unrest boiling over.

"Keep it tight guys. Here we go." stated Phoenix as he led his squadron into Proelium.

Protestors had taken to the streets yelling at the top of their lungs to announce their beliefs, clashing with other protestors, or torching various stores or government buildings that would surely keep the local law enforcement agencies busy.

The squadron travelled past the protestors to a relatively quieter side of the city, and pulled into a medium sized alley.

"This is where the governor set the rendezvous." stated Phoenix as he looked around cautiously.

His squadron had dismounted their skimmers as well. They kept perimeter security in case of any nasty surprises or ambushes that could come.

"Over here!" shouted a voice in a smaller alley connected to the main alley that the squadron was in.

The squad made their way over to the voice and found a loyalist soldier opening the door for them.

Upon entering the building, the Swooping Sparrows saw a small arsenal of crystal-powered weapons, crystals, food stock and other supplies, maps, and communicators scattered around the room.

"Welcome to loyalist headquarters. Our main base and many other official government affiliated buildings on our terra got overrun by Cyclonian supporters." informed the loyalist soldier.

"Ah, this place reminds me of our resistance hub on Quies, back when we staged the coup." stated Crow with a slight fondness.

"Yeah, feels homey." added Warbler.

"We heard that your squadron staged a coup against the Cyclonian empire before. We thought that your expertise would be crucial in our fight against the dreaded regime." continued the loyalist soldier as she motioned for the crew to follow her through the base.

After navigating a large maze of seemingly endless routes in the underground base, the loyalist soldier opened a large metal door to reveal what looked to be a war room.

"Governor, I'm glad to see you." stated Phoenix as he extended his hand for a handshake.

"Likewise, young sky knight." replied the acting governor as he shook Phoenix's hand.

"Let's get right to it." started the governor as Phoenix, his squadron, and he circled around a table with a huge map of Terra Vicis sprawled across it.

"The first Cyclonian invasion fleet is coming from the east in a week's time. We've consolidated our forces in these three military bases. These bases are also acting as camps for civilians. Major cities and towns on our terra are either contested between loyalist forces and Cyclonian supporters, or completely overrun by the Cyclonian supporters." the governor informed grimly.

"What are we to do Phoenix?" asked the governor with a hint of distress in his voice.

The sky knight peered down at the map.

Based on his previous experiences with the coup on Quies, Phoenix knew they had a week or less to prepare, and anything beyond that was considered wishful thinking.

"We have to deal with the situation on the streets first." stated Phoenix firmly.

"Our law enforcement is completely overrun, and some of them have even turned on us!" replied the governor slightly aggravated by their betrayal.

"If the Cyclonian supporters continue their resistance against your loyalists, the Cyclonians will be able to put a crushing blow on to your troops once they arrive. We need to go into hiding and regroup." suggested Phoenix.

"We are not retreating! We will not bow to Cyclonia!" stated the governor vehemently.

"With all due respect governor, we are not retreating. We are strategically repositioning, so that we have a fighting chance against the Cyclonians." Crow said calmly as he joined his squadron in the war room.

"If you put it that way, I guess it seems reasonable enough." stated the governor.

"With that settled, send out a terra-wide call for all loyalist forces to go into hiding. We're sticking with guerilla tactics only." stated Phoenix.

"Also, this allows us to consolidate the troops and spring sneak attacks at a moment's notice." added Crow.

"Very well. I'll give the order." said the governor solemnly.

"General, give the order for all loyalist forces to pull back and go into hiding." commanded the governor to the senior looking general.

"But sir-

"It's for the best. Don't worry, we'll get a shot at those Cyclonian scum later. Right now, we need the troops refreshed and ready for more precise warfare versus the open warfare they are waging now." concluded the governor.

"At once sir." answered the general simply as he instructed a technician to broadcast the orders.

"We'll lose ground because of this, so I hope you know what you're doing." stated the Governor looking at Phoenix.

"We've done this before. It will work out." stated Phoenix now looking determinedly at the map of Terra Vicis.


	24. Divided, United

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: I hope you're enjoying the Vicis story arch. I'm planning to conclude the story soon, so Vicis hopefully sets everything in place. Enjoy!**

 **3 days before the Cyclonian invasion fleet arrives, early afternoon, Terra Vicis…**

With the loyalist forces consolidated and in hiding, the Swooping Sparrows and loyalist command planned their next moves carefully from the hidden base in Proelium.

"Three days people. We have three more days before the Cyclonians reach this terra." stated Phoenix firmly.

"Warbler, what does our food stock look like?" asked Phoenix.

"Food is holding, but we'll need more supplies for troops and civilians alike." replied Warbler grimly.

"Right. Finch, have your reconnaissance scouts found any crucial information about the number of Cyclonians heading for us?" asked Phoenix turning to the messy brown-haired sharp shooter.

"Rumors say at least five cruisers combined with massive numbers of foot personnel." replied Finch calmly.

"Ok. Crow, are our communications still clear?" asked Phoenix now turning to the merb.

"Encrypted and connected." replied Crow simply.

"Good. Sparrow, Buzzard, you guys short on crystals for shields?" asked Phoenix now turning to the two crystal mages.

"Crystals should be sufficient for the portable shields for now, but the massive shield generators need more crystals to accommodate for the amount they use up." stated Sparrow.

"The crystals are sufficient for now, but we'll need more shortly." added Buzzard.

"Alright. I'll make sure that gets through to the support convoy coming in tomorrow before the invasion and blockade cuts us off completely from the other terras." finished Phoenix.

"General, how are your troops holding up?" asked Phoenix concernedly.

"Food is low, ammunition and supplies even scarcer, but morale is still decent." stated the general to Phoenix firmly.

"Tangible needs will be met by sun down tomorrow general. The support convoy from Terra Quies should be arriving at around late afternoon to early evening." stated Phoenix.

At that moment, a loyalist soldier sprinted into the room and panted heavily as he skidded to a stop.

"The Cyclonian supporters are attacking the base to the west." stated the loyalist soldier still panting heavily.

"Communications are shot, loyalist forces are being overrun, and the civilians are at risk." finished the soldier still heaving heavily.

"Take a deep breath soldier." stated the general as he put a hand on the soldier's shoulder.

"Sparrow, Finch come with me! Buzzard, Warbler, Crow, I need you guys to stay here to keep tabs on everything." stated Phoenix hectically.

The three gave him a quick nod.

"Finch get your scouts and tell them to scout ahead and observe the compound. They are on reconnaissance only, so tell them to hold their ground until we get there with the main assault force." finished Phoenix.

"I'm on it." stated Finch as he pulled out a communicator and began speaking into it rapidly.

Phoenix, Sparrow, and Finch dashed through the narrow corridors of the compound.

"Anyone who isn't defending their post or manning a station follow me!" yelled Phoenix as a group of loyalist soldiers slowly accumulated behind the three Swooping Sparrows.

"What's going on sir?" asked a loyalist soldier catching up to Phoenix.

"The western base got attacked, and civilians are in danger." stated Phoenix briefly as he kept sprinting forward.

The soldier had a grimmer expression on her face as she realized what Phoenix had just told her.

The group of loyalists followed Phoenix, Sparrow, and Finch through the destroyed streets of Proelium. After leaving behind the city outskirts, they could soon hear the artillery fire and screams coming from the western base.

The group found themselves huddled beside a large pile of gravel to catch their breaths and prepare for the assault.

"Sir, there are still some civilians caught inside. Many are wounded, and loyalist forces who got caught in the base were all executed." reported the scout to Finch grimly.

"Alright. Get back with your squad and await further orders. Good work." said Finch sharing the same grim tone as the scout.

The soldier saluted promptly and sprinted back to his comrades while trying to keep a low profile.

"I don't think they're on talking terms." stated Finch grimly.

"That's putting it lightly." replied Phoenix sharing the same grim expression.

"Alright, I got an idea." said Phoenix now looking over at the compound gates.

 **Several minutes later…**

"We surrender!" shouted the two unarmed loyalist soldiers approaching the compound gates.

"Halt! Stay right there!" commanded the Cyclonian militiaman cautiously as he pointed he aimed his crystal longbow from the guard tower.

The doors slowly slid open and four Cyclonian militiamen marched out cautiously to apprehend their prisoners.

Just then, a crystal-powered blast hit the militiaman on the guard tower, and four other precise shots incapacitated the four men who were approaching the two surrendered men.

"Seal the gates!" yelled a frantic voice from behind the walls of the compound.

It was too late.

The loyalist soldiers started pouring through the gates as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Cyclonian militia.

Phoenix and Sparrow led the main assault force through the gates while Finch led a group of his scouts to flank and infiltrate the enemy's compound from another angle.

Phoenix spun around in a storm of orange as he incapacitated multiple enemies at once.

Sparrow's surroundings were a hurricane of purple and blue as her spells danced across the battlefield slaying enemies as they swept by.

As the dust cleared, Cyclonian militia, loyalist soldiers, and civilian bodies littered the base's floor.

"Needless bloodshed." stated Phoenix quietly as he observed two loyalist soldiers tending to a wounded comrade.

"Perhaps one day, all of this will stop when we defeat the Cyclonians." stated Sparrow as she peered down upon the piles of deceased.

"Cyclonia promises protection and prosperity! More than our government or king could ever provide for us!" stated a captured Cyclonian militiaman as he was ushered away by a loyalist soldier.

"Captain, hold on for a moment." instructed Phoenix as the captain stopped with a group of captured Cyclonian militiamen behind him.

"Your beloved empire speaks of peace, but do you know what they're really doing? I am from Terra Quies, and I can tell you that they slaughtered and enslaved our people. Prosperity was present for them, not the populace. Protection was given to them when they used us as hostages for their purposes." announced Phoenix looking over the group of captured Cyclonian militiamen.

The group looked at him in confusion and irritation.

"Look at the bodies around you. You've killed civilians, and your own people, the loyalist movement, who wanted to protect everyone and keep everyone safe from the wrath of Cyclonia. If you support Cyclonia, they will remorselessly betray you, because once your worth is served under the Cyclonians, they will discard you. Believe me, I was a star Cyclonian cadet once who believed in the same principles that you have been taught. Please, see the truth of things like I have." finished Phoenix still looking upon the stunned crowd.

"Boy, I trust you. He speaks the truth!" stated a middle-aged man coming to the front of the crowd.

"I was the head of this contingent of militia, and I see validity in your point." continued the man.

"If Cyclonia is to crush us in the end, then what uses are there to serve this regime!" he shouted as the other more junior militiamen looked upon their leader.

"If our leader is to believe these truths, then we must follow." stated the militiaman from the back of the group.

"I agree." stated another militiaman near the front of the group.

Other former militiamen in the group also shared their statements of agreement with one another.

"Sky Knight, how do we make things right?" asked the contingent's leader to Phoenix.

"I have an idea." stated Phoenix firmly.

 **Later that night…**

The three Swooping Sparrows sat around the campfire at the loyalist base having dinner while loyalist troops rushed around the base to reinforce and secure the reclaimed base.

"You really think this is going to work?" asked Finch as he roasted a sausage over the campfire.

"It's worth a shot." stated Phoenix now biting into a slice of bread.

"They were Cyclonians who have now seen the wrongs of their ways. Other militia groups will see their genuine expression and explanations and agree. I mean, the fact that Phoenix was a Cyclonian cadet, the supposed next generation of Cyclonians, now turned Sky Knight, says a lot." stated Sparrow as she stuck a marshmallow on a twig, and began roasting it on the open fire.

"We'll see by dawn. Hopefully we'll have the entire terra uniting under one banner by then." stated Phoenix as he stared blankly into the fire which flared on in the cold night.

"And you're really good with words. I still remember the speech on Quies at the Talon Academy, which converted the Cyclonian cadets, and now you converted a whole group of Cyclonians again on Vicis!" exclaimed Sparrow supportively.

"Thanks, I guess I do have a way with words." said Phoenix as he winked at Sparrow to which she turned a shade of red.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't see that." stated Finch as he grabbed a slice of bread.

Phoenix and Sparrow looked at each other and chuckled slightly, now both sharing the same shade of red.


	25. The Sparrow's Will

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: The Battle for Terra Vicis is drawing closer. Let's continue.**

 **2 days before the Cyclonian invasion fleet arrives, early afternoon, Terra Vicis…**

Thanks to a handful of Cyclonian militia turncoats, over the course of a night, Phoenix's message of Cyclonia's deception was spread across Terra Vicis.

Many militia groups renewed their loyalties toward the loyalists and the original government, but some militia groups remained unconvinced, as was expected, and the remaining die-hard militiamen have now held up in a base located in a highly mountainous region located north east of Proelium.

 **Early morning, loyalist base west of Proelium…**

"Phoenix, my scouts have already positioned themselves to do reconnaissance of the area near the north-eastern base." stated Finch calmly.

"Good, tell them to report back with their findings as soon as possible." replied Phoenix in a similarly calm tone.

"You got it." said Finch as he turned away to converse with two reconnaissance scouts.

"You have breakfast yet?" asked Sparrow to Phoenix tiredly as she had just woken up a few minutes ago.

"No, I've been really busy." stated Phoenix as he scanned the room looking at the loyalist forces busily organizing and executing logistical tasks.

"Here, energy bar." Sparrow said as she tossed a small object to Phoenix.

"Thanks." replied Phoenix before opening and subsequently biting into the bar.

Phoenix then turned to look at a giant map of the area they were infiltrating.

"Something is worrying you isn't it." said Sparrow as she walked to stand beside him.

"The region is too mountainous. With the time they've been given, they could've dug in already. Ambushes, traps, and who knows what else they've set up already." stated Phoenix before taking another bite from the energy bar.

"We have a loyalist cohort, a sharpshooter and his scouts, a crystal mage, and a sky knight. We'll be ok." stated Sparrow as she put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder.

"I sure hope so." stated Phoenix as he looked over at the crystal mage who now gave him a supportive smile.

 **Early afternoon, near the north-eastern Cyclonian militia base…**

"Just a bit further." stated Phoenix to a few weary looking soldiers who had been carrying heavy supplies for the assault on the Cyclonian militia's last outpost.

The peaks towered over the medium sized cohort of loyalist troops as the sky knight, sharpshooter, and crystal mage led the assault party from the front.

"Have you heard anything from your scouts?" asked Phoenix to Finch concernedly.

"Nothing. I don't like it, but we're already this far." replied Finch quietly.

"Yep, I really hope we aren't walking into a trap, but these peaks are giving me a bad feeling." stated Phoenix quietly back to his sharpshooter.

"If I were them, I would definitely post some guys up there." commented Finch as he briefly scanned the peaks with the crosshairs of his crystal longbow.

"Are we closing in on the compound yet Phoenix?" asked Sparrow calmly.

"Should be a few more kilometers." stated Phoenix.

"Oh great." remarked Finch.

 **Late afternoon, on the outskirts of the north-eastern Cyclonian militia base…**

The tired troops and the three Swooping Sparrows took a break as they saw the compound a short distance away.

"I don't like it. I don't see anyone in there." stated Finch as he scanned the compound quickly.

"Still no word from your scouts?" asked Phoenix suspiciously.

"They should be around here, so we should've gotten a messenger from the other group by now relaying information." stated Finch.

"Something's not right." Sparrow added.

The group rested a few minutes longer.

Suddenly, a swarm of crystal blasts hit four resting loyalist soldiers simultaneously.

"Ambush! Spread out!" yelled Finch.

The group quickly formed a protective perimeter as the medics tried to tend to the wounded loyalists.

"Attack!" came a voice from behind a pile of gravel.

Cyclonian militia popped out from all around the loyalist cohort and rained down crystal bolts on the group.

Several loyalist soldiers were slain within minutes of the ambush.

With low numbers, many wounded, and no routes of escape, Phoenix knew they had to fight their way through the Cyclonian ranks to escape.

"Follow me!" shouted Phoenix as he ignited his blade and made a dash at a group of Cyclonian militiamen.

Loyalist forces trailed behind him taking aim and striking at their ambushers.

"I'll stay with the medics!" shouted Finch to Phoenix as he unleashed a volley of bolts towards the ambushers to protect the busy medics from any incoming fire.

"I'm with you!" added Sparrow as she took a defensive position beside Finch and ignited a crystal shield to cover the busy medics.

After incapacitating another group of militiamen with the Phoenix's Resolve, Phoenix could see there were still many combatants eyeing them angrily.

"Sir, there are too many!" shouted a soldier to Phoenix as he fired off shots in a panic.

"Stand your ground! To the end!" stated Phoenix as he lunged toward another group of Cyclonians and continued forcing back the seemingly endless waves of militiamen.

Just then, Finch let out a scream as a crystal bolt had hit him in the shoulder and he collapsed in a bit of shock.

"Finch!" yelled Sparrow as she came to her friend's side with her crystal-powered shield still ignited.

Without the cover fire from the sharpshooter, two medics were cut down by the fire coming from the militiamen.

Sparrow felt anger and anguish as she saw the personnel collapse lifelessly.

"Enough!" yelled Sparrow as her eyes lit up with dazzling purple light and she unleashed a brief wave of blinding purple light that seemed to radiate throughout the area.

Loyalist soldiers found their opponents grabbing for their ears, closing their eyes, and collapsing to the ground briefly as they let out screams of agony.

"Sparrow." said Phoenix internally remembering what he had been told.

The screams from the militiamen quickly ceased as their bodies seemed to have the life drawn out of them.

Loyalist soldiers looked at their deceased opponents with looks of gratefulness, confusion, and fear.

Many redirected their gazes to the now seemingly dazed crystal mage as she slowly collapsed to the ground.

"Sparrow!" yelled Phoenix as he ran to catch her in his arms.

"What the heck was that?" said Finch quietly as the remaining loyalist soldiers looked on from their respective positions.

"Redemption told me this would happen." stated Phoenix quietly to Finch as he put his hand gently on Sparrow's cheek.

"The phoenix?" asked Finch in a bit of awe.

"Yes." replied Phoenix.

"She's still breathing, we need to get her back to base." said Phoenix promptly.

Phoenix then eyed the burn from the crystal bolt on Finch's shoulder.

"Nothing but a scratch. Let's worry about her first. I'll be fine." stated the sharpshooter with a tired smile.

"Alright. Let's move out!" stated Phoenix as he carried Sparrow in his arms with Finch and the remaining loyalists following closely behind him.

 **Late evening, underground loyalist base in Proelium…**

The weary assault group returned to Proelium and made their way to loyalist command.

Phoenix briskly walked into the base with the unconscious crystal mage in his arms.

"Get her a bed, and keep track of her vitals. Keep her alive." instructed Phoenix as he placed the unconscious crystal mage on a treatment table, allowing for the medics to begin their procedures on the crystal mage.

"What happened?" stated Warbler running out from a corridor.

"It's a long story. Sparrow is unconscious." stated Phoenix in a slight panic.

"The medics are amazing here. She'll make it." stated Crow walking out from the briefing room.

"You two doing alright?" asked the sky knight with concern in his voice.

"Surviving." replied Crow wearily to which Warbler nodded in agreement.

"Alright." said Phoenix still with concern in his voice.

 **Midnight, loyalist base west of Proelium…**

"How's your arm holding up?" asked Phoenix to Finch as he saw the bandages tied around his friend's arm.

"Aches a bit, but I'll be fine." stated Finch as he picked up a twig and poked at the campfire that the three had previously sat at last night.

"What Sparrow did back there was quite incredible." stated Finch as he popped a roasted marshmallow into his mouth.

"As Redemption had said, she is capable of great preservation and great destruction. Now I know why. We'll check on her tomorrow." stated Phoenix shakily.

"She'll be alright." Finch stated as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I can't lose her." said Phoenix slowly with tears welling up in his eyes.

"She'll be alright man. She'll be alright." replied Finch as he patted Phoenix's shoulder, and peered at the fire that crackled on into the night.


	26. Get Under My Wing

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: I'm wrapping this story up soon! Enjoy the continuation of the Vicis story arch!**

 **1 day before the Cyclonian invasion fleet arrives, early morning, loyalist base west of Proelium…**

"Just know this. Forever and always, I love you." echoed Phoenix's voice.

"Thanks Phoenix, I dare say, I feel the same about you." replied a familiar female voice.

"I'm never letting anything bad happen to you." echoed his voice again.

"Thanks, and I got your back as well." replied the feminine voice.

Phoenix's dream then materialized the image of Sparrow collapsing to the ground after unleashing the mysterious purple waves.

"Sparrow!" yelled Phoenix in his dream.

Phoenix awoke from his dream finding droplets of cold sweat covering his forehead.

He saw the campfire still flickering away in the dawn's dim lighting.

Phoenix looked over to see that Finch was still asleep in a sleeping bag positioned next to Phoenix's.

"I need to go see Sparrow." stated Phoenix internally as he wriggled out of his sleeping bag and headed for his skimmer.

A few loyalist guards who had endured the night shift greeted Phoenix as he went by. Phoenix briefly saluted the guards before mounting his skimmer. He sped off in the direction of Proelium as the sun slowly covered the surrounding mountains with blankets of warm light.

 **Underground loyalist base in Proelium…**

Phoenix slowed his skimmer to a crawl as he approached the hidden compound.

Two guards greeted him as he approached the newly reinforced compound gates.

He proceeded through the gates, parked his skimmer, and made for the main entrance of the base.

He stopped by the mess hall to pick up an apple, a canister of juice, a bowl of cereal, and two slices of toast on a tray before heading to the infirmary.

He entered the room to find it relatively quiet. Medics were busily scribbling down conditions and treatments, and most of the patients were sound asleep.

He eventually found Sparrow's bed. Her chest was rising, but she was motionless otherwise.

"Commander Phoenix, Commander Sparrow should be alright. Her vitals stabilized, and she should be awoken within the morning. I recommend that she get bed rest for the rest of the day, and if possible, the coming days as well." informed the medic to Phoenix who now sat beside Sparrow.

"Alright. Thanks." stated Phoenix.

"Anytime commander. Also, I've heard the story about how she ended up like this. She saved a lot of troops. Please, give her a word of thanks on behalf of all the medical staff here when she wakes up." stated the medic gratefully.

"Will do." stated Phoenix as he looked back at the sleeping crystal mage.

The medic left the two alone to continue making his rounds.

Phoenix slipped his hand around Sparrow's hand, pulled in close, and laid his head on her.

He slowly found himself drifting back off to sleep, now with the knowledge that Sparrow was safe.

"Phoenix, is that you?" Phoenix heard as he slowly woke up to gaze into the emerald eyes of the crystal mage.

"Sparrow it's-

Before he could finish, she sprung up and hugged him tightly.

"It's so good to see you alive and awake." whispered Phoenix quietly as he felt her soft hair brush up against his cheek.

"I thought I would never see you again. I saw nothing but darkness after I collapsed." stated Sparrow as she pulled away slightly to gaze into the sky knight's ocean blue eyes.

Sparrow began tearing up slightly.

Phoenix took off his glove, and softly wiped away the crystal mage's tears with one of his hands.

"Well, you can see me now, and I can see you too." stated Phoenix with a slight smile.

"By the way, breakfast?" stated Phoenix as he motioned to a tray with various foods on it.

"Oh Phoenix, thanks." stated Sparrow as she reached for the canister of juice.

Phoenix took a slice of toast from the tray.

"Open up." he said as he slowly brought the slice to Sparrow's face.

"Phoenix's it's ok. I can feed myself!" stated Sparrow with a chuckle.

"But what if I wanted to feed my Sparrow?" questioned Phoenix to which the crystal mage blushed intensely.

"Fine." replied Sparrow as she nibbled from the slice of toast and looked back at the content sky knight's face.

Phoenix took a bite from the piece too before placing it back on the tray.

"Sparrow, about what happened yesterday. I should've done more to protect you." stated Phoenix firmly.

"What could you have done?" whispered Sparrow back as to avoid waking the other patients.

"Well, I don't know. I suppose I could've-

Phoenix trailed off for a moment thinking about the potential actions that he could've done to prevent Sparrow's current situation.

"Exactly. You couldn't have done anything then, but you're doing something right now." stated Sparrow breaking Phoenix's train of thought.

"And what's that?" asked Phoenix slightly confused.

"You're here with me." answered Sparrow back as she gave him a warm smile.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." replied Phoenix.

"Even if an entire Cyclonian invasion fleet is barrelling towards us in a matter of hours?" questioned Sparrow as she raised an eyebrow.

"Even more of a reason to be here then. To be with you, and protect you." answered Phoenix as he brushed some hair out of the way of the mage's face who was now an even brighter shade of red than before.

"Phoenix! It's good to see you!" Warbler stated as he walked towards the two.

"Warbler, it's good to see you too! What's everyone up to?" stated the sky knight.

"Crow's still coordinating things in the war room, and Buzzard is off on a reconnaissance mission around the outskirts of the terra." replied the blizzarian.

"I see." stated Phoenix with a firm tone.

"I'll leave you two to get reacquainted with each other." stated Warbler with a wink before walking off toward the exit of the infirmary.

Phoenix and Sparrow looked at each other for a moment before sharing a chuckle and continuing to stare into each others' eyes.

"Oh yeah, what you did yesterday saved a lot of troops. The medics wanted to thank you." stated Phoenix to the crystal mage.

"I don't know what happened to me yesterday. I felt anger building up inside of me, before I saw a glint of purple which quickly evolved into a blaze of purple. Next thing I knew, I looked around to see dead Cyclonians and the surviving loyalists before collapsing and seeing nothing but black." recalled the crystal mage.

"It seems that you targeted only the entities that you hated. Upon unleashing whatever it was, we saw them closing their eyes and clasping for their ears before they collapsed lifelessly." informed Phoenix.

"When everything went dark, I felt a very dark presence somewhere within me. I could still hear the cries of agony for a while before silence set in." stated Sparrow wearily.

"I don't ever want to do that again. In fact, I might have a solution to this problem. Phoenix grab the crystals that I tell you to grab out of the bag." stated Sparrow as she pointed at her rucksack full of crystals.

Phoenix procured a bright orange crystal, a green crystal, and a translucent white crystal from the pouch as directed by Sparrow.

"Alright, just place them here." stated Sparrow as she cleared a small area on a table beside them.

Phoenix placed the three crystals next to each other.

Sparrow raised her hands towards the crystals, closed her eyes, and began manipulating the crystals.

The crystals circled one another as they levitated.

"Look away." stated Sparrow briefly to which Phoenix turned his head.

A brief blinding light sparked before a crystal that was a deep green with orange streaks and a white center formed.

Sparrow then took out her pendant necklace, and promptly connected the crystal to it.

"Oh, I need to fix that for you soon." stated Phoenix as he saw the damaged pendant that he had given to her so long ago.

"That would be great! Thanks Phoenix." answered Sparrow excitedly.

"So, what crystal is that?" asked Phoenix curiously.

"I remember my mother teaching me this combination of crystal when I was really small. I guess she might have expected that this would happen one day. It's a Restraint crystal. It's supposed to restrict the holder from using an immense amount of binding energy.

"So, essentially it puts a limit on your powers." said Phoenix.

"Yeah. A limit." replied Sparrow as she admired the newly forged crystal.

"And I forgot to mention this, but I learned some new tricks so that we could better coordinate in fights." stated the crystal mage.

"Like what tricks?" replied Phoenix curiously.

"One is called Feather's Flight. I can supposedly make things fly with it." stated Sparrow plainly.

"Wow, that's amazing!" replied Phoenix excitedly.

"Commander Phoenix, you're being requested to go to the war room." stated a loyalist soldier as he entered the infirmary.

"I guess we'll have to try that flying thing later, and that means after you've recovered." stated Phoenix to Sparrow gently.

"Thanks Phoenix. I'll be alright here." stated Sparrow quietly.

"You know, if you need me here, just give me a call." stated Phoenix still holding Sparrow's hand."

"Phoenix? Where's my Phoenix?" questioned Sparrow as she looked up at the sky knight.

The two shared another chuckle as the loyalist soldier waited for Phoenix patiently.

"I'm kidding. At this rate, you won't go anywhere, because I'll always need you." stated Sparrow with a small chuckle.

"The same to you my little Sparrow." stated Phoenix as he gazed into the crystal mage's eyes.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt, but your presence is needed in the war room." said the soldier again.

"Alright. I'm coming." stated Phoenix as he got up and followed the soldier to the exit of the infirmary.

Before leaving, he looked back and gave Sparrow a wink.

Sparrow blushed slightly before seeing the sky knight completely exit her view.

"I've never really liked Buzzard have I." Sparrow began stating in her mind.

"That night on the bridge, he forced himself into my life when I was weak." continued Sparrow internally.

"Even though he was so nice to me, he said that Phoenix didn't care and didn't have time for me, but that's obviously false." said Sparrow internally as she put the two halves of her pendant back together before releasing her grip to have them fall apart again.

"Time will tell what happens, but I know, it's not right considering my current relationship, but I want Phoenix." finished Sparrow internally as she laid back on her back and looked up at the matte white ceiling of the infirmary.


	27. A Nest of Thorns

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: This chapter is a section that I have been hoping to write for a while now! School is coming back, so this story will typically get updated on weekends only. For clarification, this is the young Cyclonis (the one that we see in the TV series).**

 **Invasion day, early morning, Cyclonian Flagship en route to Terra Vicis, Cyclonis' quarters…**

The empress of Cyclonia observed her gems carefully as she placed them beside one another.

The empress heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." she stated simply.

"Master Cyclonis, your presence is requested in the throne room. He has returned." said the Dark Ace promptly.

"Perfect." replied Cyclonis simply as her lips curled into an evil smile.

The empress and the Dark Ace promptly strolled to a pair of arch shaped doors.

The doors slid open eerily as the empress walked to her throne and sat down.

The Dark Ace took a position beside a row of royal guards standing at the ready.

"Presenting your apprentice, my empress." stated a royal guard as a dark cloaked crystal mage walked through the doors and knelt before the empress.

"My apprentice, have you confirmed that she possesses the power?" asked the empress with a tinge of curiosity.

"Yes master, the girl has the power that we anticipated she would have." replied the dark cloaked apprentice still kneeling before the empress.

"You have done well. Rise." stated the empress to her apprentice.

"The loyalist forces have consolidated their troops, fortified their bases, and rallied the whole terra." reported the apprentice.

"The Swooping Sparrows have been coordinating these efforts entirely." continued the apprentice.

"Thankfully, I know their entire playbook." said the cloaked apprentice with a small devious smile.

"I'm impressed. I have taught you well." stated the empress gazing upon the dark figure.

"Dark Ace, immediately make the necessary preparations to begin our assault. Coordinate with my apprentice as needed. The meeting is dismissed." stated the empress as the royal guards, Dark Ace, and the apprentice began to make their way out of the throne room.

"Your mission was quite remarkable. I must admit that even I had my doubts whether you would be captured or turned." stated Dark Ace to the cloaked apprentice.

"My allegiance is like yours Dark Ace. My empress comes first." stated the cloaked figure in an ominous voice as the two Cyclonian commanders continued down the corridor to the war room.

"Our first target is the girl." stated the cloaked figure to the Dark Ace upon entering the war room.

"The base is hidden, but I know just where to find her." stated the apprentice once more as he looked and pointed at the city of Proelium on the map covering the meeting table.

 **Midmorning, Terra Vicis, underground loyalist base in Proelium…**

Large crystal blasts from artillery pieces hammered into the city of Proelium.

"Here they come! Everyone get to cover!" yelled a frantic medic as she ran through the infirmary.

Sparrow seeing this spectacle held onto a shield crystal in case of the entire ceiling collapsing on her due to the artillery fire.

"This place is going to come down! Everyone, out now!" yelled another medic.

Sparrow heard this, grabbed her rucksack, and headed for the exit.

As she stepped out of the compound, she saw the ominous shadows of Cyclonian ships looming over the horizon as they entered Terra Vicis' airspace.

Loyalist troops were desperately running around looking for cover, or making final adjustments to their fortifications.

"Sparrow! Over here!" Sparrow heard as she saw Crow and Warbler inside of a small reinforced bunker.

"Where's Phoenix, Finch, and Buzzard?" asked Sparrow in a panic.

"Phoenix and Finch went back to the western base to fortify and defend it! We don't know where Buzzard is!" yelled the blizzarian back over the loud artillery fire.

"Their artillery seems to be closing in on this position! We have to get out of here!" shouted Crow as he looked around for possible routes of escape.

"Talon fighters!" yelled a loyalist guard near the three as red bolts poured down upon the loyalists killing many instantly.

"Keep your spacing, but stay as a group! We're heading for the western base!" shouted Warbler to a group of loyalists.

With that, the blizzarian, merb, crystal mage, and remaining loyalists sprinted toward the west to group up with the forces in the western base.

At this point, loyalist skimmers were taking to the skies, and they were buying time for the ground forces to disperse and fortify below.

"Gunships!" stated a loyalist as troop transports carrying Cyclonian soldiers screeched by and touched down around their small group.

Cyclonian infantry poured out from the transports and surrounded the group with blasting staffs at the ready.

"There's no way they could've known we were here." stated a loyalist soldier aloud.

"I guess it was a good guess." stated a figure appearing behind the row of infantry.

His red blade hummed as he ignited it and brandished it menacingly.

"I am the Dark Ace. We are here for the girl. Sparrow, is it?" stated the Dark Ace still holding his menacing glare at the group.

The group remained silent as they kept defensive stances of their own.

"Fine, you don't want to talk. Then you will die silently." stated the Cyclonian commander as he instructed his troops to attack the small group.

The remaining loyalist soldiers were easily cut down by the Cyclonian infantry. This left Crow, Warbler, and Sparrow against the rest of the Cyclonian contingent.

"Sparrow, if you come with me, your friends will be spared." stated the Dark Ace simply.

"Sparrow, we're with you till the end." stated Warbler holding a defiant glare at the Dark Ace.

"Same here." stated the merb as he scanned the Cyclonian ranks with a sneer.

"I'll let our specialist take care of you two. We just need the girl." stated the Dark Ace as he stepped aside to let a dark cloaked figure come into view.

The cloaked figure emitted two yellow pulses from his hands hitting Crow and Warbler.

The merb and the blizzarian collapsed.

Sparrow looked at her friends in shock, but was relieved that their chests were still rising and lowering.

"Take those two to the brig. It's not everyday that you capture two members of the Swooping Sparrows." remarked the Dark Ace as two Cyclonian infantry aimed at Sparrow to keep her from moving while their colleagues dragged the unconscious merb and blizzarian away.

"Don't avoid the inevitable. Cyclonis' apprentice here knows every trick that your friends have planned for us. There will be nothing left. We know all of your little loyalist groups' moves." stated the Dark Ace with a sneer.

Sparrow now reached to remove her Restraint Crystal but a crystal bolt hit her hand numbing it instantly.

"No, you can't take the easy way out, now can you?" remarked the Dark Ace as Sparrow looked at him defiantly holding her numbed hand closely.

"We're wasting time here. Apprentice please." stated the Dark Ace simply.

The hooded figure walked slowly toward the cornered crystal mage.

Sparrow let out two crystal blasts at the surrounding Cyclonians to try to break free.

The surprised Cyclonians found two crystal shields forming simultaneously protecting them from the blasts.

The hooded figure started conjuring a large crystal blast.

Sparrow seeing this, started charging up a blast of her own.

The two blasts met each other, and each crystal mage tried to hold their ground.

After several minutes, Sparrow could feel her energy leaving her, and the pain of her numbed hand set in.

Seeing this, the hooded figure released the rest of the mysterious energy and blasted Sparrow against a wall.

The power of the blast had knocked a few Cyclonians off their feet, and had unhooded the mysterious apprentice.

As Sparrow squinted her eyes to scan her immediate vicinity, she saw the unhooded figure approaching her slowly.

As he picked her up roughly, she saw his sickeningly yellow eyes, and brown hair.

She squinted a while longer trying to clear her blurry vision.

"Buzzard?" she uttered quietly.


	28. To Kill a Weed

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Crow, Warbler, and Sparrow got captured? Also, Buzzard, are you serious? I hope to be publishing more chapters every weekend, so stay tuned!**

 **Invasion day, midmorning, Terra Vicis…**

Sparrow, half conscious, was ushered along roughly by her captor who had slapped a pair of crystal cuffs on her wrists to prevent her from any attempts at escaping.

"Buzzard, why?" muttered Sparrow quietly to which Buzzard remained silent.

Buzzard shoved Sparrow into the gunship before turning around to face the Dark Ace.

"Phase one is complete." stated Buzzard flatly.

"Commencing phase two." responded the Dark Ace simply as Buzzard gave him a nod and entered the gunship.

Buzzard motioned for the pilot to lift off.

The captured crystal mage watched as the Dark Ace led his squadron of Talon fighters toward their next objective on the terra.

Sparrow watched as red crystal blasts erupted around her. The sounds of cannon fire and the screeching of skimmers filled the sky.

"Buzzard, I just want a reason. Why?" asked the crystal mage again to which the master's apprentice adjusted his hood and stared at the prisoner.

"You were a test. One of my biggest tests. Bringing you to Master Cyclonis and transferring your power to her will grant me a place at her side. Cyclonia will bring order to Atmos." ended the apprentice keeping an emotionless expression.

"You, you used me!" shouted Sparrow defiantly.

"Indeed, I did use you." answered the apprentice simply.

"That night on the bridge-

"You fell for it. The sky knight obviously cares about you, but you were too blind to see it. I manipulated that fateful evening to my advantage, and you played right into my hands." stated Buzzard with a small sneer as he cut off Sparrow's sentence.

"I have to admit, those were some nice soft lips that night, but I don't love you. I don't need you. I know you have been conflicted between the sky knight and I." continued Buzzard.

"Good looks and trash talking goes a long way, especially when you're messing with an inferior crystal mage and her sky knight boyfriend." remarked the apprentice.

Sparrow had an expression of hurt and disgust.

"It's a good thing you did spend some time with him, because after Cyclonis is done with you, there'll be nothing left of your power, and nothing left of you." finished Buzzard leaning back and tilting his hood forward slightly.

Sparrow felt a growing sense of desperation growing inside of her as she saw the massive Cyclonian flagships appearing from behind the clouds.

Sparrow reminded herself of the time on Quies when Phoenix had led the raid on the Cyclonian academy to save her and the other hostages, and to begin taking back Terra Quies.

"You know that you're planning your own demise, right?" said Sparrow with a mischievous smile.

"And how's that?" replied Buzzard.

"Phoenix will come for me, and together, we'll defeat you and your master." stated Sparrow sitting up from her seat.

"All according to plan. We get to exterminate a sparrow and a phoenix." replied Buzzard now smiling smugly.

Sparrow slumped into her seat again, now aware that she was leading Phoenix right into the maelstrom.

 **On the ground, loyalist base west of Proelium…**

"Sir! All positions have been compromised!" yelled a loyalist soldier before returning fire toward the advancing Cyclonian infantry.

"Hold your ground for just a while longer!" responded Phoenix as he rushed back into the communications tent.

"Any word from the others?" asked Phoenix as he approached Finch hectically.

"We've lost contact with most of the loyalist resistance cells. We're looking at heavy casualties, and any surviving infantry are on the run!" exclaimed Finch in a slight panic.

"Proelium, do we still have it?" blurted Phoenix.

"We've lost all contact with headquarters. Loyalist scouts reported that the main base has fallen." replied Finch grimly.

"Finch, I need you to get all remaining loyalist cells to rendezvous south of here. The uninhabited villages that your scouts found should be a decent staging area for now. Go!" stated Phoenix as he ran for his skimmer."

As Finch and a group of communications specialists finished broadcasting the emergency rendezvous, they ran out to mount their skimmers and join Phoenix.

Without warning, Phoenix sped off from the group.

"Phoenix, that's the wrong way!" shouted Finch over his skimmer's communicator.

"I need to go to Proelium. I'll see you at nightfall!" replied Phoenix.

"Warbler, Crow, Sparrow, Buzzard, stay alive. I'm on my way." Phoenix said internally as his skimmer barreled toward the capital city.

 **Early afternoon,** **underground loyalist base in Proelium…**

After evading numerous Cyclonian patrols, Phoenix finally arrived at the destroyed resistance base.

He saw bodies of loyalists everywhere. Some were riddled with crystal blasts while others were simply slain by lacerations on vital areas of their bodies.

Phoenix stepped cautiously into the base, igniting his blade, and observed the eerily quiet surroundings.

Electrical sparks illuminated the dark hallways frequently, and puddles of blood shone in the dim light.

"Commander?" said a weak voice from behind a flipped meeting table.

"Soldier, we'll get you the medical attention you need." replied Phoenix scrambling to the wounded soldier's side and putting pressure on the gushing wound located on his torso.

"Commander, Commander Buzzard is with the Cyclonians." muttered the soldier before letting out a chain of small coughs.

"What?" asked Phoenix slightly in shock.

"He took commanders Sparrow, Crow, and Warbler. I got wounded when we got surrounded, and I played dead when I was hit." continued the soldier.

"I crawled back in here hoping to call for help, but they destroyed the communication consoles." finished the soldier.

Within the next few seconds, the soldier grew limp in the sky knight's arms as he succumbed to his injuries.

"Rest easily, and thank you." stated Phoenix as he closed the dead man's eyelids carefully before laying him down slowly.

Phoenix proceeded out of the base and mounted his skimmer.

He sped off towards the emergency rendezvous that Finch's scouts had arranged sometime before the invasion.

 **Dusk, secret encampment on the south side of Terra Vicis…**

Phoenix stepped on the breaks of his skimmer as he saw the dim light emanating from the small shacks in front of him.

He observed the rugged skimmers that were parked near some of the huts, and he proceeded to look for his friend among the survivors of the Cyclonian invasion.

"It's good to see you in one piece." remarked Finch as he saw Phoenix entering the tent.

"Same to you." replied Phoenix simply as he sat down on a wooden stool and took a swig from a metal canteen."

"They got, Sparrow, Crow, and Warbler." started Phoenix glumly.

"And Buzzard?" asked Finch.

"He's a traitor." replied Phoenix.

Finch got up and looked at Phoenix in horror.

"He knew all of our outposts. That's how the resistance got wiped out so quickly!" shouted Phoenix as he angrily threw the canteen against the tent wall.

Silence settled in for a few moments.

"Phoenix, I don't know how we're getting out of this one. The Cyclonians have us surrounded, we're low on supplies and troops, and we have no way of calling for reinforcements." stated Finch breaking the silence.

"Tell the troops to get some rest. I need some time to think." stated Phoenix as he set down the canteen and exited Finch's tent.

 **Midnight, near the newly established loyalist encampment…**

Phoenix had wandered for a while now.

He observed the scarce greenery fluttering in the cold wind.

The night seemed to bring peace to the terrorized terra.

Phoenix found a large rocky ledge and sat down.

"Redemption, I need your help." said Phoenix internally.

Phoenix waited in silence for a few moments.

He opened an eye as he heard the flapping of large wings.

The fiery bird swooped toward him and perched beside him while giving him a look of concern.

"I saw the terra. The Cyclonians are everywhere." began Redemption to the sky knight.

"Redemption, I don't know what to do. They have-

"The girl. They have the girl." stated Redemption as he cut off Phoenix's sentence.

"They also, have my other friends, and another one of them is a traitor." Phoenix commented.

"You must know, Master Cyclonis is here as well." stated the phoenix calmly.

"Wait, what is the empress of Cyclonia doing here?" Phoenix questioned.

"She has come for the girl." replied Redemption.

Phoenix now remembered Sparrow's ability.

"If Buzzard had been a Cyclonian spy, he must have been sent to track and eventually capture Sparrow to bring to Cyclonis." stated Phoenix.

"There is little time Phoenix. Knowing the empress' practices, your friend will not survive for very long without our intervention." stated Redemption grimly.

"I propose to travel to Quies and bring reinforcements, but the reinforcements will not arrive before the girl will be severely injured, or even die." continued Redemption.

"If I may suggest, do not fret about the Cyclonians on the ground. If one must eradicate an invasive weed, they do not cut the stem, for it will grow back. Aim for the roots." finished the wise phoenix.

"Cyclonis." muttered Phoenix silently.

"Precisely." replied Redemption as the phoenix began to ascend.

"Good hunting." stated Redemption.

Phoenix watched as his companion flew off into the night toward Terra Quies.

 **Late night, at the newly established loyalist encampment…**

Only a few loyalists were still patrolling the moderately sized camp as they were on shift watches.

Phoenix climbed into his tent and laid down on the rugged sleeping bag.

He peered out of the small mesh window of his tent and saw the moon.

"Hold on, I'm coming." stated Phoenix silently as he forced his eyes to close, and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	29. Caged Sparrows

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: Ok, so we have a game plan. Also, I know it's a weekday, but I felt like posting, and I had some time on my hands after two examinations.**

 **1 day after the invasion of Terra Vicis, early morning, Cyclonian flagship, cell block…**

The damp and cold conditions of the Cyclonian cell block kept Sparrow awake through the night.

The old tattered blanket, and torn rug brought little warmth, which prevented her from sleeping through the past night.

The area was windowless, so Sparrow could only estimate the time of day.

Suddenly, the heavy metallic door at the front of the cell block slowly creaked open.

In came a Cyclonian soldier followed by two elite Cyclonian royal guards.

"The empress will see you now." stated the soldier simply as he opened the cell door and cuffed Sparrow before forcefully ushering her out toward the corridor.

Sparrow soon noticed that the previously cold metallic floors had been replaced by a red velvet carpet.

The guards approached an arch-shaped entrance. The two royal guards opened one door each, and the Cyclonian soldier pushed Sparrow into the throne room.

"Presenting Sparrow, crystal mage of the Swooping Sparrows." stated the soldier as he forced Sparrow to kneel before the empress.

"Good. Leave us." commanded the empress.

The royal guards took their respective positions in the throne room, and the regular soldier bowed and showed himself out.

Sparrow heard the doors slam shut behind her.

Sparrow looked up at the hooded empress briefly before focussing on the floor in front of her.

"We've been watching you for a long time now. Your power is great." stated the empress slowly.

Sparrow remained silent.

"Do you know what you are capable of? Entire cities, terras, and even all of Atmos would bow down to you with that much power." continued the empress.

Sparrow kept her eyes on the crimson velvet carpet in front of her.

"Unfortunately, you do not share the same sentiments as I do. I was going to ask you to join me, but I decided that I'd rather have that power for myself." Cyclonis stated with a small sneer.

"Guards, curtains." commanded the empress.

Sparrow looked to her right to see an archaic looking contraption with a transparent capsule in the middle.

"My latest creation. It drains the binding from mages, and transfers their power to me." informed the empress.

Sparrows' eyes widened slightly at the thought of the contraption.

"Guards." said the empress as she motioned for two of her royal guards to escort the prisoner to the contraption.

Sparrow struggled as she wriggled in the guards' grasps, but her attempts were useless.

She found herself being thrown into the capsule, and the door was shut behind her.

She saw a guard who casually strolled over to a console, flipped a few switches, and pulled a lever.

Sparrow could feel herself levitating within the capsule.

She saw the purple that was radiating out from her eyes and around her body in the reflection on the glass.

A sharp pain tore across her body as she felt the binding energy literally being torn out of her.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention. With your binding, goes your life as well." Sparrow heard from the empress who was now watching calmly as Sparrow's screams echoed in the throne room.

"After careful calculations, I have determined that the process will take three days. Three days of excruciating, mind-numbing, and agonizing pain." finished the empress as she slowly rose and made for the doors of the throne room.

"Phoenix, please, I need you." murmured Sparrow internally as she began to lose consciousness in the dark contraption.

 **Early morning, at the newly established loyalist encampment…**

"Phoenix, please, I need you." stated Sparrow's voice.

Phoenix sprang awake with his eyes fully widened, and he breathed heavily.

He could feel beads of cold sweat trickling down his face which landed on his tunic.

"Sparrow, she's in trouble." stated Phoenix internally.

Phoenix made a dash for Finch's tent.

Upon entering, he saw Finch conversing with two of his scouts about the upcoming raids and ambushes that would allow them to gather supplies.

"Morning Phoenix." stated Finch.

"Finch, we need to go get Sparrow. I heard her in my dream. She's in great pain." stated Phoenix hectically to Finch.

"Phoenix, we're short on troops and supplies. We'll need to go on supply runs first. Once we get the supplies, then-

"She doesn't have much time Finch! I can just, feel it." blurted Phoenix interrupting Finch.

"Well, what do you propose we do then?" questioned Finch with an equal amount of concern on his face.

"We'll need to mount a surgical full-frontal assault. We'll throw everything and everyone we got at the Cyclonian flagship. If we can send Cyclonis packing, her minions will follow." finished Phoenix to the three stunned men.

"Phoenix, that's insanity. Surgical and full-frontal assault don't belong in the same sentence. And, like I said, we don't have the supplies, the-

"She's going to die if we don't do anything in the next day or so! I just know. Please, we have to try." pleaded Phoenix to Finch.

"I want to save Crow, Warbler, and Sparrow too. If you're sure about this, then I'm in too." stated Finch calmly after a moment of thought as his two stunned scouts redirected their shocked gazes to their commanding officer.

"Crow and Warbler will be on the flagship as well. I know Cyclonis will want to keep them there for leverage." said Phoenix trying to think like the empress.

"Seems possible." replied Finch.

"Also, Redemption is bringing reinforcements from Terra Quies." stated Phoenix.

"Your phoenix!" shouted Finch in shock.

"Yeah." replied Phoenix simply.

"Only one thing, my idea of a full-frontal assault was quite rash." started Phoenix to which the two scouts responded with a slight look of relief.

"Are there any other viable ways of entry? I don't want more of our troops getting hurt." stated Phoenix to his three comrades.

"Leave that to us." stated Finch with a small smile.

"You guys like Cyclonian tunics and weaponry?" asked Finch to his two lead scouts with a questioning look.

"We have salvaged their weapons before, and we are decent in the usage of such weaponry." responded one of the lead scouts.

"Good, it's decided then. Prepare for an ambush near here." stated Finch as he procured a map, spread it across the table, and pointed to a region which had a crossroads.

"This chokepoint is perfect for an ambush. We'll take their weapons, vehicles, and tunics. After taking out the guards, we'll head to the nearest Cyclonian forward operating base. We'll commandeer some gunships and fly up to infiltrate the Cyclonian flagship. And there you have it, a surgically precise insertion." finished Finch as he looked at the others.

"That's brilliant sir." said the other lead scout to his commanding officer.

"Alright, prepare the others." commanded Phoenix to the two lead reconnaissance scouts.

The scouts saluted promptly, and briskly walked out of the tent to inform their comrades.

"Don't worry Phoenix. We'll get them back." Finch said as he got up and patted Phoenix's shoulder.

"Just like on Quies, right?" asked Finch.

"Yeah, just like on Quies." replied Phoenix as the two bumped fists and exited the tent.

 **Late afternoon, Terra Vicis, crossroads…**

Phoenix peeked his head above the ditch that he and Finch were hiding in.

He saw the remaining resistance members spread out across various areas surrounding the crossroads.

All personnel laid prone, waiting for the next Cyclonian patrol to come by.

As if on cue, the sound of boots echoed off the surrounding mountain faces as a medium sized cohort of Cyclonians marched forward on the crossroads.

Finch signalled at one of his scouts.

The scout and his three comrades were holding canisters at the ready.

"Go!" yelled Finch.

The four loyalists chucked their canisters which disoriented the Cyclonian patrol with massive clouds of smoke.

The loyalists charged the Cyclonian cohort and decimated their numbers in a matter of seconds.

"Crow would've been proud." stated Finch as he finished putting on his Cyclonian tunic.

"Yeah, he would be." replied Phoenix as he adjusted his helm.

"These things feel all too familiar, am I right?" stated Finch.

"After this, I hope I never have to wear or lay eyes on one of these again." stated Phoenix as he looked at the uniform with disgust.

 **Midnight, Terra Vicis, Cyclonian forward operating base…**

The disguised loyalists and their two commanding officers came up to a Cyclonian military complex.

The cohort marched uniformly as they approached the metallic gates which led into the settlement.

"Hunter cohort, you're six hours late." What happened out there?" questioned the guard.

"We ran into some unruly locals. We showed them who runs Vicis now." reported Finch calmly.

"Why didn't you call for back up?" questioned the guard.

"We took care of the situation. Only dead locals and a few straggling loyalists' corpses are left there now." added Phoenix.

"Very well, you may enter." stated the guard as he opened the metallic gates to reveal the innards of the base.

The cohort marched in and assembled in a staging area near the entrance of the base.

"Alright, everybody, split up and get airbor-

"Halt! Those are loyalists!" stated a returning reconnaissance patrol at the entrance of the base.

Virtually all Cyclonian personnel within the base shifted their attention and weapons towards the medium sized group.

"This is going to be a long night." whispered Finch to Phoenix.

"For Vicis!" yelled Phoenix as he procured his own blade, ignited the orange flare, and dove into the groups of Cyclonians.

Finch and the remaining loyalists followed as the battle raged on into the night.

 **3 days after the invasion of Terra Vicis, early morning, Cyclonian forward operating base…**

Against all odds, the small band of loyalists had managed to repel and defeat the Cyclonians within the base, along with the enemy reinforcements that seemed to pour in to the base for the past day and a bit.

Finch leaned wearily against a compound wall observing the carnage around him.

Dead Cyclonians and loyalists alike riddled the floor.

In some areas, like entrances and corridors, the bodies had just piled up due to the amount of fighting which continued throughout the past day and a bit.

Phoenix looked up at the rising sun, exhausted and bearing a few scratches, but happy to be alive.

"Finch, are you holding up alright?" asked Phoenix to the drained sharp-shooter.

"I'm tired, but alive. Heavy casualties on our end. We lost a lot of good people in the last day or so." stated Finch wearily.

"This is it Finch. They have not died for nothing. We must push on to infiltrate the flagship." stated Phoenix determinedly.

"You're right." replied Finch as he got up and walked over to the gunships that were being busily inspected by the surviving loyalists.

"We're ready sir." reported one of the loyalists to Phoenix.

"We are heading into the most heavily defended ship that there is in the Cyclonian navy. I can't assure you that you will live through this truly dangerous mission. If anyone wishes to stay here and await the forces from Quies, please say so now." finished Phoenix looking at the remaining loyalists.

Silence swept over the group.

"We've come this far sir, we're with you till the end." stated a loyalist breaking the silence.

"I agree, I am willing to give my life if it means that Vicis will be free." stated another loyalist.

The remaining loyalists also voiced their support and offered their cooperation for the upcoming mission.

"It is an honor to fight beside all of you. Cyclonis, here we come." announced Phoenix as the disguised loyalists cheered and began piling into the gunships.


	30. All or Nothing

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: The end is near… but for who? This is a long chapter, but that's because a lot of loose ends get tied up…**

 **3 days after the invasion of Terra Vicis, early morning, aboard a Cyclonian gunship…**

The ride up toward the Cyclonian flagship was relatively quiet.

The Cyclonian gunships glided through the open sky passing by numerous Cyclonian Talon fighter escorts, and many large battle cruisers.

"I'm glad they think we're on their side." remarked a loyalist as she peered out of the gunship to scan the cruisers.

Every loyalist understood that the circumstances of the mission could result in their deaths and utter failure, but they had come this far, and this was the only way left.

"Five minutes till landing." announced the disguised pilot to the alert loyalists.

"Remember, upon landing, regroup and march away from the staging area. Split up and patrol areas leading to the prison block. Those who are still with the group, locate Commander Crow, Commander Warbler, and any captured loyalist personnel before mounting any types of assault. Commander Finch and I will signal for the assault to begin. Watch your fire as we're all dressed in Cyclonian battle garments. Good hunting." finished Phoenix to the loyalists standing around him, and to the loyalists who were carefully listening over their communicators on the other gunships.

As the gunships flew toward the massive Cyclonian flagship, Talon fighters pulled up next to the transports as to escort them into the hangar.

"Here we go." stated Finch as he bit his lip slightly before regaining a less nervous look.

"Form ranks!" shouted Phoenix as the disguised loyalists marched out uniformly and formed neat columns.

"Forward march!" shouted Phoenix again.

With that, the disguised loyalists filed out orderly from the Cyclonian hangar bay as Cyclonian maintenance crews swarmed the gunships to service and inspect the transports.

According to plan, loyalists began taking positions in various corridors leading up to the prison block.

Eventually, Phoenix, Finch, and the remaining loyalists reached the prison block.

"What are we supposed to do? I got a really bad feeling that we're being watched." asked Finch.

"We'll just ask where the prisoners are." stated Phoenix.

"You can't be serious." stated Finch.

The cell block doors slid open and the group was greeted by a prison guard.

"What can I do for you?" asked the prison guard casually.

"We'd like to know where the captured Swooping Sparrows are. We'd like to pay them a little visit for what they did to our guys back on Terra Quies." stated Phoenix with clenched fists.

"Oh, they're down that way. Take a right after you see the first wall." answered the prison guard as he tossed a pair of keys to the disguised sky knight.

"Thanks." stated Phoenix as he caught the keys, and his group and he walked off.

"Wait a minute." stated the prison guard.

Phoenix and his group turned around, weapons at the ready.

"Give those two a present from me too, would you?" stated the guard with a sneer.

"For sure." replied Finch as the group turned around again to resume their route.

"I can't believe that actually worked." whispered Finch in a bit of shock when the group was out of the prison guard's hearing range.

"Sometimes, you just need to ask." stated Phoenix as he and his group marched deeper into the cell block.

The group continued to walk in cautious silence until they saw a familiar blizzarian, and a familiar merb.

"Phoenix?" murmured Crow in shock.

"Finch, Phoenix, we knew you guys would make it!" added Warbler in an excited whisper.

"Where's Sparrow?" asked Phoenix as he twirled the key in the lock and unlocked the cell door.

"We don't know. Last thing I remember, we got knocked out by Buzzard, and when we woke up, we were in here." said Crow as he stepped out of the cell.

"Alright. I know Sparrow doesn't have much time, so we're going to give you our uniforms so that you can stay undercover until we launch the assault. We have other loyalists posing as Cyclonians, so watch your fire." informed Phoenix.

"I hate to say it, but I don't think that's going to fit me." stated Warbler in a bit of dismay.

"I knew these would come in handy!" stated a loyalist excitedly as the rest of the group redirected their attention to the soldier.

"I salvaged these three Chroma crystals from the Cyclonian forward operating base. Here you go commander." stated the loyalist as he handed the bag of three chroma crystals to Warbler.

"Good work soldier." said Finch as he finished changing out of his Cyclonian garments.

"Alright, wait for our signal. We're heading for the throne room." stated Phoenix as he slipped out of the Cyclonian tunic, revealing his ordinary combat tunic and armor."

"Why the throne room?" questioned Finch.

"Cyclonis wants to keep one of her most prized catches away from us. She wouldn't trust anyone else to guard Sparrow." stated Phoenix with a growing sense of desperation.

On that grim note, Warbler, Crow, the group of loyalists, Finch, and Phoenix made their way out of the cell block promptly before the group split up once more.

The loyalists, Crow, and Warbler took positions around the cell block to prepare for a massive prison break.

Phoenix and Finch, now out of their disguises, sneakily went past guards and infantry to reach the grand throne room.

"Crimson carpet? We're close." whispered Phoenix as he eyed the red velvet.

The two found themselves looking upon a giant arch-shaped entrance with two doors.

"This has to be it." stated Finch quietly as he and Phoenix crouch-walked up to the doors.

"You get that door, and I'll get this one." whispered Phoenix.

Before pushing through to the throne room, Finch grabbed his communicator, and pushed a small circular button.

In the next few moments, the ship echoed with crystal blasts and battle cries, signalling to Finch and Phoenix that the surprise assault had begun.

"On three. One, two, three!" stated Finch as the two pushed the respective doors apart to reveal the grand Cyclonian throne room.

To Phoenix's horror, Sparrow was trapped in a weird contraption. Her skin was yellowish green, her eyes remained closed, and her body was limp and suspended in the chamber of the contraption.

"Sparrow!" shouted Phoenix as he bolted toward the contraption.

"Wait!" yelled Finch as he watched his friend barrel toward the capsule.

Out of nowhere, royal guards rushed out from opposing sides, and they surrounded the contraption.

Phoenix halted his charge abruptly and ignited his blade with an expression of rage blazing on his face.

"Bravo, I expected that you would follow after her." stated a cloaked figure appearing from a corner of the throne room.

"Buzzard." uttered Finch silently as he trained his bow on the menacing figure.

"It was seventeen years ago when the Swooping Sparrows sky knight squadron first fell. The time has come for them to fall again. Permanently." Buzzard said as he lowered his hood and procured a dark staff with a purple crystal on the end of it.

"You're a traitor." stated Phoenix through gritted teeth.

"I should say the same to you. I know you defected from the Talon Academy on Quies to revive this dead squadron. You could've had so much more! Under Cyclonis, only the strong, like you and I, prevail. The weak are crushed, or forced to serve our whim." announced Buzzard as he stepped in front of the group of royal Cyclonian guards.

"I'd never join you. I found out a long time ago that truly protecting the Atmos doesn't involve serving Cyclonia." finished Phoenix as he gripped the hilt of his blade tighter.

"So be it." answered Buzzard as he motioned for the royal guards to advance on the sky knight and his marksman.

The fight began.

Phoenix dove, struck, and taunted the guards into attacking him. His training allowed him to dispatch three guards easily.

This was followed by a barrage of orange flares as he swiftly swept through a group of five Cyclonian guards with the Phoenix's Resolve.

"Finch! Get that capsule open!" shouted Phoenix as he flipped a Cyclonian guard and threw him against a wall.

"I'm on it!" Finch shouted back.

Buzzard, hearing this exchange, lunged at Finch only to be met with Phoenix's determined glare, full of hatred, as the two clashed with one another.

Finch made a bee line for the capsule and volleyed three shots at the capsule's entrance.

The arrows rebounded in all directions, even managing to hit a guard in the shin.

"Oh crud." stated Finch as he saw three Cyclonian guards charging him upon seeing his failed attempt to free Sparrow.

Finch counter charged the three guards and leapt atop one of them before firing another arrow at the exposed console.

To his relief, the capsule fizzed out and the entrance sprang open, leaving a smoking broken contraption in the throne room.

"No!" shouted Buzzard as he saw his master's destroyed contraption.

Finch volleyed off another wave of arrows at the stunned Cyclonian guards, killing three instantly upon impact.

"Go!" shouted Finch as he continued to draw the guards' and Buzzard's attention.

Phoenix sprinted over to the capsule and jumped inside of the destroyed contraption to find the limp body of Sparrow laying there lifelessly.

Phoenix cradled the crystal mage in his arms and looked at her drained expression as she slowly started to open her eyes.

"Phoenix, is that you?" murmured Sparrow weakly as she squinted her eyes up at the sky knight.

"Sparrow, hold on. We're getting you out of here." stated Phoenix as he brushed a few strands of hair out of her exhausted face.

"I can still fight." said Sparrow as she struggled to her feet and tore off her Restraint crystal.

Purple light shone from her eyes for a brief second.

Her skin had a tiny bit of colour returning to them.

"My mother told me the Restraint crystal stores a bit of restrained energy for emergency usages too." informed Sparrow weakly.

"Alright, let's go then." whispered Phoenix back as he and Sparrow climbed out of the capsule to find Finch sprinting for his life, still drawing the attention of the Cyclonian guards.

At that moment, more guards appeared at the throne room entrance, and turned their attention to the escaped crystal mage and troublesome sky knight.

"You remember those tricks I told you about?" asked Sparrow forcing a small smile as she procured two small crystals from her pocket.

"Yeah." replied Phoenix as he maintained his glare at the newly arrived combatants.

"Titan's Might!" shouted Sparrow as she conjured up what energy she had left and beamed it into Phoenix.

Phoenix felt incredibly strong as the green glow engulfed his body.

"Speed of Light!" yelled Sparrow again as she shot another beam into Phoenix.

Phoenix, now feeling extremely energized, charged at the group of newly arrived Cyclonians and found himself tearing through the group, killing four combatants instantly.

"Woah." stated Finch as he saw his friend dash through the well-armored group.

"I wonder if this works?" said Phoenix internally as he focussed his energy to activate the Phoenix's Resolve, to which he glowed of orange, green, and blue, forming a flash of light that swept past the Cyclonian guards.

The remaining Cyclonian guards fell to their knees lifelessly as the combination of the crystal mage's power, and the sky knight's special move had ended their lives.

Suddenly, Sparrow and Phoenix heard Finch screaming as he was thrown against a wall and knocked unconscious.

The two looked at their friend with concern, but felt relief when they saw his chest rising and lowering.

"So, the little sparrow still has the will to fight." stated Cyclonis sinisterly as Buzzard strolled over to join his master.

Phoenix, suddenly felt the energy leave him as he looked back to see Sparrow collapsing.

"Sparrow!" yelled Phoenix as he rushed over to Sparrow and clutched her closely to his chest.

"Pitiful. Just pathetic." stated Buzzard to which his master gave him a small evil smile.

"The Swooping Sparrows are no more." stated Buzzard as he aimed his staff at Phoenix and Sparrow.

"Hey Sparrow?" whispered Phoenix, now with tears welling up in his eyes."

"Yeah Phoenix." replied Sparrow weakly.

"I'm so glad that I met you that day in the market, when you ambushed Finch and I." stated Phoenix as his tears started to drop on the crystal mage.

"I thought we were going to grow old. You know a family or something." stated Sparrow as she forced a small weak smile.

"We have right now. We have right now." finished Phoenix as he leaned in to kiss the crystal mage one last time.

"Enough of this!" shouted Buzzard as he conjured up a large blast at the end of his staff and sent it at the two.

"I love you." stated Phoenix internally as he kept his lips locked on Sparrow's lips, and closed his eyes upon seeing the approaching blast.

"I can die happily now." whispered Sparrow internally as she kept her lips pressed against Phoenix's lips and braced for the crystal blast.

The crystal blast struck the two, creating a massive puff of smoke and debris upon impact.

"Impossible!" shouted Cyclonis.

Phoenix, expecting to be obliterated by now, saw his and Sparrow's body glowing blue.

Sparrow opened her eyes as well to witness the spectacle.

"Perfect attunement. That's impossible!" shouted Cyclonis.

The crystal mage and sky knight both rose, and faced the master and her apprentice.

"This is the end. Atmos will be free." stated Phoenix igniting his blade and brandishing it at the two Cyclonians.

"You win this time, sky knight." stated Cyclonis as she disappeared in a blinding crimson light.

"Master? Master?" stated Buzzard in bewilderment as he stared at the spot where his master formerly stood.

"She abandoned you. She played you." commented Phoenix now brandishing his blade at Buzzard.

"She used you." added Sparrow.

Buzzard let out a loud angry cry before charging violently at the two, now conjuring a crystal blast.

Phoenix activated the Phoenix's Resolve before charging at Buzzard.

A blinding light erupted in the middle of the throne room.

The two opponents stood facing opposite directions, a short distance away from one another.

Buzzard fell on his knees and looked up at the throne.

Phoenix, seeing the traitorous crystal mage kneeling before the empty throne, walked over cautiously, with ignited blade in hand.

"Stay away from my Sparrow." whispered Phoenix into Buzzard's ear before raising his blade, and beheading the traitor.

Phoenix turned to see Sparrow looking at him exhaustedly.

"Finch!" Sparrow shouted as she turned around and rushed over to their injured friend.

Phoenix rushed over as well.

"Next time we fight Cyclonians, please give me a heads up when the empress smacks me against the wall like a sack of potatoes." said the marksman smiling slightly as looked up at his two friends.

"Will do." stated Phoenix as he and Sparrow looked at each other, sharing an expression of relief for their friend.

The three cautiously inched out into the corridor which was eerily quiet.

"Phoenix, Sparrow, Finch, this is Crow, we've taken the bridge!" stated the merb over the intercom.

The three shared a sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

The friends traversed the flagship's corridors. Dead Cyclonians and loyalists lay everywhere because of the obvious struggle that had happened a short time ago.

When the three reached the bridge, they were happy to see Crow, Warbler, and a handful of loyalists busily manning consoles, and communicating with other terras to request reinforcements.

"We've taken their flagship, but the rest of the fleet is still out there, and there are Cyclonians all over the terra." stated Crow.

"I wouldn't worry about them." responded Phoenix to which the merb gave him a questioning look.

Just then, ships started emerging from behind the clouds.

The insignia of the Quies military branded the ships that now started blasting at the other Cyclonian vessels.

Phoenix frantically dialled the frequency for an emergency encrypted line to the Quies general that he had set up prior to leaving Terra Quies.

"This is an encrypted line, who is this?" stated the general over his communicator.

"General, this is Phoenix of the Swooping Sparrows sky knight squadron. We have commandeered the lead Cyclonian flagship." replied Phoenix into the communicator.

"Fine work commander. We'll take it from here." said the general over the intercom.

The loyalists, Crow, Warbler, Finch, Sparrow, and Phoenix all shared joyous cheers and shouts of victory as the Quies military continued to fly into Vicis airspace to eliminate the surrounding Cyclonian vessels.

Phoenix briefly looked out the window and saw Redemption flying beside a Quies military crusier.

The phoenix gave him a wink, and continued escorting the Quies military vessels.

 **Aboard a gunship en route to Terra Cyclonia…**

"Buzzard is dead?" asked the Dark Ace slightly in disbelief.

"My apprentice made a noble sacrifice. He will be remembered." Cyclonis stated plainly as the gunship approached a waiting Cyclonian cruiser.


	31. Together Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with "Storm Hawks". Characters, places, and other aspects of the story (except for original characters, animals, locations, and some other aspects) that are referenced to do not belong to me.**

 **A/N: It has been such a blast writing this story! I hope you all enjoyed the journey too! I plan to write more in the future, and I consider my first fan-fiction as a success in the sense that I found a new passion, and I am now actively exploring it. Thank you once again for reading! Also, who knows. Maybe I'll make a sequel?**

 **1 week after the events on Terra Vicis, Terra Atmosia, early afternoon, Terra Atmosia ports…**

The Thunderbird landed on one of the busiest ports on Terra Atmosia.

The cargo ramp dropped and Finch stepped out to stretch.

"That was a long trip." stated Finch to his approaching crew members.

"Lighten up man! We're getting medals today!" exclaimed Warbler excitedly.

"What's a useless piece of metal going to do." stated Crow jokingly.

"It's to recognize our actions as a squadron from the past few missions." responded Sparrow calmly.

"Medals or not, we're still the same old Swooping Sparrows. I agree, we don't let medals define us, but they're nice to have." added Phoenix.

"We can use them as paper weights, or even coasters!" stated Warbler who was now laughing along with his friends at his ridiculous ideas for the medals.

 **Late afternoon…**

Many people gathered to see the Swooping Sparrows receive their awards.

After the long speech made by the senior sky council counselor, the Swooping Sparrows had medals pinned to their tunics in recognition of their service.

It was then that the counselor motioned for Phoenix, the sky knight and leader of the squadron, to make a closing speech.

"People of Terra Atmosia, let it be known that we will not tolerate Cyclonian suppression any longer. Day by day, resistance groups, sky knight squadrons, and good citizens like you are rising against the Cyclonian oppression. When my friend and I chose to defect from the Cyclonian ranks, we knew we were making a choice of great importance. A choice of seeing the truth in these unclear times. With the help of the Quies resistance, we took back our terra, and we rebuilt the Swooping Sparrows. So, I say to you, we aren't different from you. You can also rise against Cyclonia!" finished Phoenix triumphantly as the crowd roared with applause and joyous cheers.

Phoenix looked back at his crew who were also applauding loudly.

His eye then caught Primiceriatus looking content with his former student's maturity and improvement in being a sky knight, and personal growth in general.

 **Early evening…**

After a celebratory dinner at a local restaurant, the Swooping Sparrows returned to their ship.

Warbler, Crow, and Finch walked ahead of Sparrow and Phoenix.

"Oh shoot, I almost forgot." started Phoenix.

"What?" continued Sparrow.

"We need to clear out Buzzard's stuff. Want to come clean it out with me?" offered Phoenix.

"Taking out the trash you mean? Sure!" replied Sparrow enthusiastically as the two shared a laugh.

The two entered the room slowly.

None of the crew had entered the room for a while as they had other tasks, or they simply did not want to be reminded of the traitor.

 **Late evening…**

"Almost done." said Phoenix as he dragged out another bag of Buzzard's abandoned belongings.

"Almost clean over-

Sparrow paused.

"What's wrong?" asked Phoenix now walking over to Sparrow.

He saw her holding up a letter that had been crumpled up violently and tossed in a corner of the room.

Sparrow read it internally.

 _Dear Sparrow,_

 _I hope you're doing well._

 _I've been really needing to get this off my chest._

 _I haven't seen you in so long, and I should've told you this the day that I left._

 _I just wanted to say,_

 _I like you more than as a friend._

 _I love you._

 _From, your sky knight,_

 _Phoenix_

"This, this is the missing letter." stammered Sparrow in a bit of shock.

Phoenix scanned the crumpled letter.

"Wow, well now we know where that went." Phoenix stated flatly.

"I blamed you that time, but it was Buzzard who staged it to turn me against you. I feel so ashamed that I-

Phoenix interrupted Sparrow's apology with a kiss.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. It was Buzzard who caused all of the trouble, not you." stated Phoenix with a smile as he pulled away slightly to gaze into Sparrow's eyes.

"I'm so lucky to have you." Sparrow said now face to face with the sky knight."

"And I'm so lucky to have you." replied the sky knight as their lips met once more.

 **Midnight…**

Crow, Warbler, and Finch had drifted off to sleep a while ago in their respective quarters.

Sparrow and Phoenix had just finished throwing out the last of Buzzard's belongings.

"That's all of it." stated Phoenix as he threw out the last bag of belongings.

"Yep, glad we got that over with." added Sparrow as she kicked at a bag of Buzzard's belongings.

"We'll dump it out fully tomorrow. We'll leave all of this in the hangar bay for now." stated Phoenix.

With that, the two hauled the bags into the hangar bay, and walked in the direction of their respective living quarters.

"Well, goodnight Sparrow." stated Phoenix as he headed into his quarters.

"Wait." Sparrow blurted out.

Phoenix turned around and looked at the crystal mage.

"Can we have a sleepover tonight?" asked Sparrow.

Phoenix turned visibly red.

"I would love to." stammered Phoenix as he grew redder by the second.

Sparrow entered Phoenix's quarters and sat on his bed.

Phoenix turned off his room's lights and laid down on his bed.

Sparrow laid down beside Phoenix and looked out the window.

Phoenix wrapped his arms around Sparrow.

She felt the warmth of his body as he brushed up against her.

"I have to admit. I've wanted to do this for a long time." said Phoenix as he rested his chin on Sparrow's head.

"I have to confess, I've wanted to as well." replied Sparrow quietly.

"Goodnight my little sparrow." whispered Phoenix as he kissed Sparrow on the top of her head.

Phoenix lay still for a while now with Sparrow in his arms.

Sparrow looked at her repaired pendant and admired how the sparrow and the phoenix circled one another for an eternity.

She then redirected her gaze to the moon, reminiscing the times when she had looked up to the moon and thought about Phoenix during his year of training.

"I'm watching too." whispered Phoenix which surprised Sparrow slightly as she saw the sky knight gazing at the moon followed by him returning his gaze to the crystal mage.

Knowing that all felt right in Atmos because her Phoenix was with her, Sparrow let the warmth of the sky knight and the moonlight slowly lull her to sleep.


End file.
